


Episode VIII (Because waiting until 2017 is torture.) *And now Episode IX. ;)

by MarvelSpacePrincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Epic Space Opera, F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-07 13:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 48
Words: 50,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5457683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelSpacePrincess/pseuds/MarvelSpacePrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a story I decided to create because I simply can't wait two years. For anyone who agrees with me on this, enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to just say this once. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS! I can't stress that enough. This story will be filled with spoilers. Anything past this point is all on you.
> 
> Well. Now that I got that out my system, for those of you still wanting to read, please do so. And I hope you enjoy my story.

It had been a month since all of the events on the Starkiller Base. The Resistance was still fighting the First Order and keeping close watch of their activities. Rey was off training with Luke. General Leia was still grieving over Han's death, but refused to let her pilots see her in a weakened manner. And Finn had been going through minor therapy after waking from his coma. 

A small group of Resistance pilots were fighting some Stormtroopers in space on the outskirts of an unknown planet. The Resistance pilots were led by Poe Dameron. He was tasked with a mission to find out more intel on future plans of the First Order, but unfortunately that mission didn't go as planed. As of now, all he was worried about was getting his fellow pilots and himself back to the Resistance Base safely. 

A Tie fighter shot rapidly at Poe's X-Wing and damaged the upper left wing.   
"Damnit!" he yelled in frustration, but continued fighting back.  
Thankfully, his other pilots shot down a few more Tie fighters. Poe looked at his controls and noticed that his X-Wing was in worse shape than he thought. He tried to fix the situation a little bit, but noticed another Tie fighter coming his way. Poe realized that his fuel levels only allowed him to have one more shot and he couldn't afford to screw it up. 

"Ok....Let's do this!" he mumbled to himself.  
Poe aimed carefully and just when he got in a good range, he made the perfect shot, destroying the Tie fighter.   
"Poe! How are you holding up?" a fellow pilot asked.  
Poe grew a smile and turned his X-Wing around.  
"I'm doing just fine." he began. "Let's get back to the base." 

 

At the base, Finn just entered his bunker. The Resistance was able to provide him a place to stay among them and get therapy before getting back into action. His left shoulder was severely hurt and wrapped up in bandages, but despite that, he was more than ready to go back into helping the Resistance. He had been out of the coma for two weeks and hated feeling like he wasn't useful. Sure, he had an injury, but it had gotten a little bit better over time. He wasn't going to let that hold him down forever. 

Finn took a seat on the edge of his bed and took a deep breath. Soon, Poe walked in with BB-8. Poe and Finn were roommates. He requested General Leia to make the arrangement ever since Finn woke from his coma. Poe went to his side of the bunker and threw his gear near his bed.

"How did the mission go?" Finn asked.  
"Not so well." Poe began. "The General was pretty disappointed to hear that I didn't get any intel, but my squadron and I can only do so much."  
Poe then took a seat on his bed and sat across from Finn.  
"All I know is, they're working on something. Something big." he said.

Finn lied down and stared at the ceiling.   
"At least you're out there doing something. I'm just burdened here." he said.  
"What are you talking about?" Poe asked. "You're a hero! You had the bravery to do things not many of us here would ever do. You helped us out in so many ways that there's no way in the universe we could ever repay you!....You've come a long way from just being a Stormtrooper. Like I said, you're a hero."  
"Yeah, I know." Finn began. "It's just....even though I did all of those heroic things,....I still feel empty. It's like, something is missing....I don't know why, but I feel like all the crazy heroic actions I did were motivated by something...."  
"It was Rey." Poe said.  
Finn quickly looked over at him.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Everything you did, was for Rey. You really care about her." Poe said with a slight smile.

Finn tried to hide his smile and lied back down, avoiding eye contact with Poe.  
"I don't know what you're talking about. Sure, Rey became a good friend of mine, but that's it." he said in denial as he looked at the ceiling.  
"Say what you want Finn. But I noticed something....we all have." Poe said with a smile.  
"Whatever." Finn said as he turned on his side.  
BB-8 then beeped a little as he spoke to Poe.   
"I know, right?" Poe said as he laughed.  
Finn quickly sat up and looked at them.  
"What did he say?" he asked.  
"That's classified." Poe said with a smile.  
BB-8 beeped again adding his own commentary.  
"How about you two stop worrying about my love life and think about why you can't get a date." Finn snapped.  
"Oh that's not a problem." Poe began. "I hate to brag, but getting ladies has never been a problem for Poe Dameron."  
"That's right. I forgot you're in a serious relationship with your droid there. I don't judge though." Finn said sarcastically with a smirk.  
Poe was about to make a clever comeback, but C3-PO walked in.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but General Leia has requested for the presence of you both." he said.  
Finn and Poe glanced at each other for a moment and headed out the door with BB-8 following behind.


	2. More Than Meets the Eye

General Leia stood in front of a panel analyzing different maps of the galaxy. Soon Poe and Finn arrived before her.   
"General." Poe said with a nod.  
"Follow me to my office." Leia commanded.  
The three entered her office and the gentlemen took a seat. Leia was about to close the door incase if anyone decided to eavesdrop, but BB-8 stood in the doorway and looked up at her.  
"Alright, fine. Get in here." she said as the droid rolled in.   
There was no way she could say no to him. Leia closed the door and went to her desk. 

"General. Is this about the mission earlier today?" Poe began. "We tried everything we could, but...."  
"No. It's not about that." Leia began as she took a seat. "I'm assigning the both of you to a special mission. Lando Calrissian, an old friend of mine has been captured by the First Order. They believe he is working with the Resistance, but he hasn't done so for many years now."   
"Where do you want us to bring him after we rescue him?" Poe asked.  
"Here, to the base. Tell him I need to ask him a few questions and then he's free to go." Leia responded.  
She opened up a map of the galaxy he was located in and zoomed in to show more of the planet he was on.   
"The First Order has many locations throughout the galaxies, but I have discovered that they have a settlement on Felucia. That's where Calrissian is." she said.

Finn was still wondering why General Leia was asking for him to go.  
"Uh, General?" he began. "I hate ask this, but is there any particular reason why you want me to go? I mean, Poe seems like he is very capable on his own."  
"Finn. I've been informed today that you've fully recovered from your therapy and we need someone of your talents to assist us on missions like this. Are you willing to help us once again?" Leia asked.  
Finn looked at Poe for a moment then back at General Leia. He felt good knowing that this would be his opportunity to get back in action.  
"Yes General." he answered.   
Poe smiled and gave his pal a brotherly pat on the back.  
"Alright, men. You both can be on your way. You leave in an hour." Leia said with a sincere smile.

As the two of them walked out the door, Leia felt that she had to address something.  
"Finn. Stay for a moment. Poe you are dismissed." she said.  
Poe and Finn glanced at each other confused for a moment, but followed the General's orders. Leia walked over to Finn and looked at him for a moment.   
"Finn. No one here knows much about you....you've mentioned that you were once a Stormtrooper for the First Order....what made you stray away?" she asked.  
"I don't really know....All my life I followed orders from them and never questioned anything, but for some reason....I guess I just snapped out of it. Why no other Stormtroopers did the same, I have no idea. I guess I'm just different." Finn said.  
Leia nodded her head as she thought about what he said.  
"Did your parents ever show any similar actions?" she asked.  
"I never knew my parents. I just know I was taken from them as a baby." Finn answered.  
Leia thought about their conversation and noticed something, but kept it to herself.  
"Finn. I don't know if you know this or not, but there's so much more to you than you think.....I can sense it." she said with a smile.   
Finn was a little confused, but curious at the same time.

"I admired your heroism when you were protecting your friend. The way you watched over her and were willing to give your life to protect her was truly inspiring. I hadn't seen anyone that loyal since....Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was a mentor to my brother and a great friend of mine....When you get the chance, you should read up on him. His wisdom would certainly help you out better than I could." Leia said with a smile.

"I'll do that." Finn said.  
"Well, I've kept you long enough. You're dismissed." Leia said.  
Finn nodded and hurried out the door. Leia watched as he left and grew a smile. She knew he was destined for greatness, but he'd have to find that path on his own.


	3. The Jedi Code

On an unknown, beautiful green island on a mysterious planet, Rey sat quietly with eyes closed, meditating. She had been in Jedi training for a month now and had get signs of progress. Rey was getting even closer to mastering the force and was a fast learner.  
As she sat peacefully and meditated, a huge boulder began rolling her way, picking up speed with every turn. Rey didn't move a muscle. She took a deep breath then lifted her right hand in the direction of the boulder. Suddenly, it stopped rolling downhill towards her, but began rolling uphill, back to its original spot. Rey was using the force with ease as it seemed everything came natural to her.  
Luke watched from a distance and was pleased with what he saw. He then walked up to her. Rey opened her eyes and looked up at her teacher.  
"It is meal time." Luke said to her.

 

Moments later, the two of them were eating their food. On the island, Luke was able to grow a garden and had found a small fresh water source.   
"Rey." Luke began. "I've noticed your progress these past few weeks....you're a lot more powerful and in tune with the force than I was at your age."  
"So, does this mean I'm almost done with my training?" Rey asked.  
"No." Luke began. "You may be very powerful, but there's so much more to being a Jedi than mastering the abilities of the force."   
"I know." Rey began. "I just....."  
"I understand. I was like you once. I was eager to leave my training with Master Yoda. He told me that I wasn't ready yet, but I had to leave. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned but I lived to fight another day." Luke said.  
"Why did you leave?" Rey asked.  
"I wanted to go help my friends and my sister." Luke began. "I didn't really think things through as to what would be the best option....That is why we as Jedi must be able to let go of any attachments. Even those of ones that are closest to you.....You have to be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good."

Rey thought about what he said and it made sense.  
"Is that why you never married? And why you distanced yourself from the people you care about?" she asked.  
"That is exactly why. As a matter of fact, that is one of the major Jedi codes. I thought the idea was ridiculous at first, but over time I began to see why that is such an important rule." Luke answered. 

Rey started to wonder if she would be capable of sticking to the Jedi code. Her whole life she never experienced any emotional attachments to anyone and seemed to be doing perfectly fine on her own, but then....she met Finn. During most of their journey together, she didn't feel any connection with him, but when she realized he came up with the idea to go rescue her from the Starkiller....something changed. No one had ever came back for her, so she felt something when he did that. Everyone else she met on her journey, she felt that she could easily let go of attachments to them, but letting go of an attachment to Finn would be her only conflict. If she was able to do that, she could be a fully realized Jedi.

Rey then had a few questions.  
"What happens if a Jedi has only one emotional attachment? Would it not be that big of a deal?" she asked.  
"Rey." Luke began. "The last Jedi that had just one attachment ended up going to the Dark Side. They knew they were going against the Jedi code, but continued down that path anyway and problems occurred causing them to become fully evil and show mercy to no one....However, something good did come from it all and without it, they probably wouldn't have had a chance of redemption."   
"Who was the Jedi?" Rey asked.  
"My father." Luke answered.   
Rey was surprised.  
"I advise you to make your choices wisely." Luke began. "Or history may repeat itself." 


	4. A Voice

Ever since the events of the Starkiller, Kylo Ren hasn't been able to catch a break from Supreme Leader Snoke. He is seen as a failure in his eyes and won't let him forget it. Members of the First Order are starting to see him as a joke and taking him less seriously. Not to mention he let Rey escape and is being blamed for the destruction of the Starkiller, which wiped out a huge chunk of the First Order. What's worse is that he can never forget that day even if he wanted to because his face was scarred from his lightsaber duel with Rey. That will always be a reminder of his failure to Snoke.

Kylo Ren awaited for the opportunity to redeem himself to the First Order. For the past month, he was training with Snoke. He had improved his fighting skills and control over the force. He still hadn't mastered the force because he never completed his training with Luke, but he was always pretty strong with it. Now, the First Order was currently residing in their numerous bases across the galaxy. One of which, was located on Felucia and that was where his ship was going to.

He sat in a room alone and thought about his grandfather. He wanted to be just like him in every way and wanted people to fear him the way they feared Vader. Kylo thought about what Rey had told him when he tried to get into her mind and he started to feel like she might've been right when she said he would never be like Darth Vader. Now that he thought about, he realized that his whole life started falling apart the moment he learned of Rey. He then came to the conclusion that no matter what it took, he will seek to end her once and for all. 

Kylo stood up and looked out the window. He saw a slight reflection of his face in the glass and looked even more at the scar. Suddenly, he started to hear a voice in his head.  
"This is not who you are, Ben. I know it's not." the voice said.  
Kylo was both angry and shocked at the same time. He had never heard voices in his head before.   
"You can still leave this. Don't let him tell you otherwise." the voice said.  
Kylo then screamed in frustration. Was he going crazy?  
"You still have a choice." the voice said.  
Kylo fell to his knees and screamed again. He could sense that the voice was coming through the force and assumed Luke must've been up to this as revenge.

The voice had stopped and Kylo was still shook up by what had just happened. He started breathing faster and tried to catch his breath. Seconds later, he slowly got up and fixed his robe. Soon, General Hux opened the door.   
"Sir, we are about to arrive at our destination in fifteen minutes." he told him.  
"I will be there in a moment." Kylo said as he tried to remain calm.  
General Hux then left and closed the door. Kylo turned around to look out the window again for a brief moment as he thought about what had just happened.


	5. Two Bros and a Beast

Finn, Poe and BB-8 arrive on Felucia in a ship General Leia recommended. To Poe, it was no X-Wing, but it would do. He landed the ship in a safe spot in the jungle, but also at a good distance from the First Order Base.   
"You're landing it here?" Finn asked him.  
"Where else am I gonna land it? We get any closer, and they'll see us." Poe said as they got out of the ship.

Finn was amazed at the nature around him. He had never seen a planet like it before.   
"So what's the plan? How are we going to get in without being seen?" Finn asked.  
"Why are you asking me? I assumed you had a plan." Poe said.  
"WHAT?" Finn began. "I know I was once a Stormtrooper, but I never came to this planet! I don't know a thing about this base!"   
Poe started grinning a little.  
"Is that so? I bet you'd know every detail about this base if your girlfriend was here." he joked.  
"For the hundredth time, Rey is NOT my girlfriend!" Finn said.  
Poe loved teasing him.  
"I didn't say a name this time." he began. "But since you wanna talk about Rey..."  
"Poe!" Finn interrupted. "Why don't you leave me alone and worry about getting yourself a girlfriend?"  
"Now why would I want a girlfriend when I have someone like BB-8? You said it yourself." Poe said as he walked beside BB-8.  
Finn rolled his eyes as he walked with them. He hated when Poe took his insults and embraced them. 

As they walked a little bit more, BB-8 followed behind Poe and heard a noise from somewhere. He rolled faster and beeped a little frightened.  
"What is it?" Finn asked.  
"He says something's following us." Poe answered.  
They both took out their blasters and looked around. Finn stood still and could sense something.  
"Poe." he began quietly. "It's on your left."  
Poe was surprised at what Finn said. He wondered how could he know that if he didn't even look that direction.  
"What?" he asked confused.

Suddenly a huge, strange creature burst out from the jungle on Poe's left. The two of them quickly moved out of the way and started shooting the creature with their blasters. It wasn't long before they realized the blasters weren't affecting the creature's skin at all. It was like it's outer skin was indestructible.  
"Finn!" Poe began. "How did you...."  
The creature then knocked Poe over.  
"POE!" Finn yelled as he ran towards him.   
The creature blocked Finn from going to his friend. BB-8 wanted to roll over to Poe, but was too scared to make another move. 

Finn started to panic as the creature slowly walked closer to him. As he stood still, he studied the creature for a moment and thought about where would be the perfect place to attack. Finn then remained calm and the creature started to run towards him rapidly. Just when it was about to attack him, Finn quickly pulled up his blaster and shot one shot inside the creature's mouth. Finn then watched as it collapsed in front of him. He stood there for a moment in shock and then quickly ran over to Poe. 

"You ok?" Finn asked.  
Poe looked at his friend, then at the dead creature, then back at his friend again.   
"Yeah." he said still confused.


	6. Rescue

Later, Finn, Poe and BB-8 arrived at the First Order base. They noticed two Stormtroopers guarding an entrance. Finn thought of a plan then whispered it to BB-8 and Poe.   
The Stormtroopers stood in front of the door and noticed BB-8 role up to them and beep.  
"Aww, look. It's kinda cute." one Stormtrooper said.  
"Where did you come from?" the other asked.  
BB-8 then shocked both of them.  
"What the....?" one yelled.  
They pointed their weapons at the droid as he rolled away quickly. The Stormtroopers chased him into the jungle, but BB-8 disappeared out of their sight.  
"Where'd he go?" a Stormtrooper began. "When I find that piece of junk, I'm gonna...."  
"You're gonna what?" Poe began as he and Finn appeared in front of them, holding them at gunpoint with their blasters. "I dare you."

 

Moments later, Finn and Poe were wearing the Stormtrooper outfits and walked up to the entrance. Their only dilemma was getting a code to enter in.  
"Don't you know a code?" Poe asked Finn.  
"We used our IDs. I'm sure they terminated my ID by now." Finn explained.  
Poe grew impatient and used his blaster to shoot the code box. Then the door opened.  
"Well....that works too." Finn said.

The two of them walked down the hall and soon came near a room. They tried to glance through the doorway to get a look. In the room, they saw someone being held prisoner and a chrome Stormtrooper standing in front of him.  
Finn didn't want to believe what he saw. There was no way. The chrome Stormtrooper noticed someone looking through the door and looked at them. It was Captain Phasma. Finn felt his heart sink a little in fear. Thank goodness he was in a disguise though. She looked back at the prisoner.  
"What was your reason for attacking the First Order?" she asked.  
"Listen lady." the prisoner began. "I don't want to speak to you unless you're the one who murdered my friend."  
"Who do you think you are to speak to authority that way?" Phasma asked.   
"For your information, I'm Lando Calrissian and I don't see any authority here." he said.  
Captain Phasma grew angry that he wasn't threatened by her at all and left the room.  
"Go get Kylo Ren and bring him to the prisoner." she ordered Finn and Poe as she walked passed them, not realizing they were under that Stormtrooper armor.

The two of them went inside the room and walked up to Lando.  
"Before you begin, I'm just gonna let you know that I'm not scared of you either." he said.  
Finn and Poe removed their helmets.  
"We're here under orders of General Leia to rescue you." Poe explained.  
Finn hit he switch to set Lando free. Lando grew a satisfied smile.   
"Ah, Leia. She always had a soft spot for me, but never wanted to admit it." he said.  
"Come with us." Finn said as he and Poe put their helmets back on and escorted Lando out of the room.

The three of them were able to make it outside, but soon Stormtroopers started to shoot at them. As they ran towards the jungle, Poe stopped for a moment and looked around.  
"C'mon!" Finn yelled.  
"I can't! Not without BB-8!" Poe answered.  
"Who?" Lando asked confused.  
"His girlfriend." Finn joked.  
Poe saw BB-8 rolling as fast as he could to them. Unfortunately, he wasn't rolling fast enough so Poe just picked him up and continued to run.

 

Kylo Ren was approached by a Stormtrooper in the hallway.   
"Sir, the prisoner has escaped!" he told him.  
"WHAT?! HOW?!!" Kylo asked angrily.  
"He was seen escaping with two spies disguised as our own!" the Stormtrooper said.  
Kylo grew angry and rushed down the hall. He had a sense that maybe Rey was near the area, but ignored the sense because it wasn't as strong as it would be in the presence of Rey.   
"I should've known she was here." he said angrily under his breath.

 

"Where's the ship?!" Finn asked.  
"This way!" Poe said as he led the way.   
The Stormtroopers were getting close and everyone hurried inside the ship. Poe went over to the controls to start it up, but for some reason it was stalling.  
"Damnit!" he yelled.  
Finn looked out the window and saw the Stormtroopers getting closer. He started to panic and his heart was beating fast. When he looked over towards Poe, he saw that he wasn't doing any better and was stressed out too. Finn then took a deep breath and calmed down. He closed his eyes for a moment and all of a sudden the ship began to rise up off the ground. Finn opened his eyes in shock and ran over to the co-pilot seat beside Poe. 

Poe had the biggest smile on his face.  
"It's a miracle!" he said.  
"Yeah." Finn agreed.  
As the ship flew away, the Stormtroopers continued to shoot at them.   
"Alright, let's get this baby in space." Poe said as he prepared to move the lever.  
Suddenly, the ship started shaking really hard.  
"What happened?" Poe asked.  
"We got hit!" Finn began. "It must've been a long range shot from the base!"  
The ship fell out of the sky fast and quickly started heading for the ground. Finn and Poe looked at Lando and BB-8, and then at each other. Within the next moment, the ship crashed into the jungle.


	7. The Decision

"FINN!!!!" Rey screamed as she woke from her sleep.  
She had a strong sense that he was in trouble and worried for him. A few tears rolled down her cheeks while she tried to catch her breath and calm down. Rey quickly got up and lit a lantern. She hurried outside and moved quickly down the stone steps. There was a chill breeze that night and she could feel it as she heard the sound of waves crashing into the shore. As she hurried down the steps, she tripped and fell.   
Suddenly, Chewbacca appeared by her side to help her up. He made his wookie roar in a concerned tone.  
"Shhh." Rey began. "I don't want to wake up Luke....I think Finn is in trouble."  
The two finally arrived at the Millennium Falcon. During Rey's entire month of training, she hadn't been allowed to go to the Falcon. Luke feared that it would interfere with her training since it would give her access to the outside world and that she'd be distracted. 

Rey and Chewie entered the Falcon and she quickly went to see if she could contact General Leia. The wait for the message to go through was killing her. She waited a few more minutes and finally Leia answered.  
"Hello, Rey. This is a little sudden. Is everything ok?" she asked.  
"I'm worried about Finn." Rey began. "I got a sense that he was in danger. Did he ever wake from the coma?"   
"He's been out of the coma for two weeks now and has had success in therapy.  I sent him on a rescue mission with Poe Dameron to Felucia. They haven't given me an update on how it's going though." Leia said.  
"Can you try to contact them? Just to see if their safe? I don't think I can sleep if I don't know." Rey said.  
"I'll try to contact them right now." Leia began. "I'll get in touch with you in a moment and let you know."   
"Thank you." Rey said.

The call then ended and Rey turned around when she heard Chewie roar again. He was warning her about outside. Rey glanced out the window and saw Luke making his way down the steps with a lantern. She knew she was about to be in trouble, but hurried outside. Luke saw her make her way out of the Falcon.  
"What are you doing?" he asked her.  
"I....got worried about a friend of mine and decided to check to see if they were ok." Rey explained.  
"Rey." Luke began. "What did I tell you about attachments? Whatever is going on with your friend, it's out of your control."  
"I understand that, but I think he's in danger." Rey said.  
Luke then looked at Rey for a moment and realized there was something she wasn't telling him.

"Is this the same friend you told me about?" he began. "The one who came to rescue you from Kylo Ren?"  
"Yes...."Rey hesitated to say.  
Luke shook his head and sighed.  
"He's the one that's been distracting you from your training." he said.  
"What? No! He hasn't!" Rey said.  
"Everyday since you got here, you've been thinking about him." Luke began. "He's the only thing standing in the way of you finally becoming a true Jedi....he's your only attachment."   
Rey couldn't deny it because she new it was true. A tear started to roll down her face.

"And what's so wrong with that?" she asked softly.  
Luke walked closer to her and they stood face to face.  
"Rey....You and I both know that your feelings for this friend are so much stronger than you want to admit....but, you can't be a Jedi with this in the way....you have to let go." he explained.   
Rey thought about what he said and looked him in the eye. She wanted to ask him something for a while now and thought this would be the perfect time to ask.  
"Luke...." she began as she fought back her tears. "Are you my father?" 

Luke looked down and then back at her.  
"Tell me!" Rey demanded.  
"Yes, Rey....Yes I'm your father." he answered.  
She continued to fight back her tears and grew angry. 

 

Moments later, Rey was packing her bag.  
"Where are you going?" Luke asked.  
"I'm going to save Finn." Rey began. "I promised I'd come back for him."  
"Why?" Luke asked.  
Rey was about to head out the door, but stopped to look at Luke.  
"Because he's the only one who's ever came back for me....You never did." she said coldly.  
Rey hurried to the falcon and Luke followed behind her.  
"Rey! I had a good reason for why I left you on Jakku!" Luke explained.  
"Why? So you can let go of your only attachment and be a true Jedi?" Rey began. "Well if that's what it takes,....then I don't want to be a Jedi." 

Rey then got in the Falcon and closed the door. Luke stood outside with Chewie and R2-D2. Rey put her bag down and contacted Leia.  
"Rey. I wasn't able to contact them! Their ship must be down!" Leia said.  
"That's alright." Rey began. "Just send me the coordinates for Felucia. I'm going there myself." 


	8. Time Will Tell

In the jungles of Felucia, the Resistance ship that Poe and Finn had arrived in was completely totaled.   
Poe and Lando climbed out of the ship. They heard BB-8 beeping and Poe was able to find him.   
"Where's Finn?" he asked.  
BB-8 led the way as Poe and Lando followed him. They found Finn, but he was underneath a huge piece of the ship.  
"Oh no...." Poe said as he rushed over to help his friend.   
Lando helped him move the huge piece off of him. Poe knelt down and looked at Finn.  
"Finn! C'mon, wake up!" he said.   
Finn suddenly started coughing and woke up. Poe smiled realizing his pal was ok. He gave him a pat on the back.  
"I thought we lost you there for a moment." Poe said.  
"I've been through too much." Finn began. "There's no way I'm dying that easy."   
They both smiled and stood up. 

Moments later, they walked through the jungle. BB-8 used a saw to cut through vines and create a path.   
"I'm sure that by now General Leia knows something went wrong." Poe began. "I didn't get to send her an update on the mission."   
"So what's the plan now?" Lando asked.  
"Well Sir, my best bet would be to find a landmark of some sort and stay there until help arrives." Poe said.  
"Fine by me." Lando began. "It's a shame we got hit though. We were finally about to leave this place."   
"Yeah." Poe said as he looked over at Finn.

"How did the ship just start working all of a sudden? The engine was damaged." Poe asked him.  
"I'm not a pilot Poe." Finn began. "You're asking me like I would know."  
"I don't know. It just seems like a coincidence that this is the second time today that we get out of a rough situation with you around." Poe said.  
"Maybe I'm just a good luck charm." Finn joked.  
Poe smiled at that comment. He knew something was up.

"You never know, he might just be a good luck charm." Lando began. "Back in the day, my buddy Han and I used to get out of crazy situations. We never knew who was the good luck charm though."  
"Were you trying to avenge Han? Is that why you attacked the First Order?" Finn asked.  
"Yes. That's exactly why." Lando began. "Believe it or not, this is the third time the First Order has taken someone out of my life."   
The boys stopped walking when he said that and we're curious to hear more.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.  
"Oh, you fellas don't want me to explain my sob story....It's a long story anyway." Lando said.  
"We've got nothing but time." Poe said.  
Lando realized he had a point and decided to tell them his story.

"First, the First Order murdered my wife, Kaida." Lando began. "She was absolutely perfect in every way. Beautiful too. Interesting fact, I met her through Han. She was from Tatooine actually."   
"Why did the First Order murder her?" Poe asked.  
"She died trying to hide our son....He was only a few months old and they were trying to take him away." Lando explained.   
"What about your son? Where is he?" Finn asked.  
"Not long after they killed my wife, they took him away....We named our little boy after Han because he meant so much to us....He was almost a year old." Lando answered.  
Both Poe and Finn felt so bad for him.  
"And now, they've murdered my best friend! Have they no mercy?" Lando said softly.

For some reason, Finn was able to identify with Lando. It was as if he could feel the pain that he had gone through.  
"But enough about me." Lando began. "Let's keep moving."   
They all then continued walking together. 

 

At the First Order base, Kylo Ren was angry that Lando escaped. He was still thinking about that minor sense he had felt earlier and wished he had acted upon it. General Hux and Captain Phasma stood on each side of him awaiting a message from Snoke. Soon, Snoke's hologram appeared before them.  
"Do you all enjoy failing me?" he asked angrily.  
"No, supreme leader." Phasma and Hux answered.  
"It's that girl!" Kylo began. "She must be on the planet! I can sense it!"   
Snoke then looked at Phasma and Hux.  
"You two may be dismissed. I'll have a word with you later." he told them.  
The two of them soon left the room.

"You may continue." Snoke said.  
"It's the girl! I just know she had something to do with all of this. She's got to be here!" Kylo said angrily.  
"You are wrong." Snoke began. "The girl is not there, but there is another in your midst....The sense isn't as strong, but it is in fact there."   
Kylo was upset and confused at the same time.   
"You mean to tell me there's ANOTHER?! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE LAST ONE!" he yelled.  
Kylo paced back and forth in anger.   
"So besides Luke, there are two others?" he said.

Snoke then leaned forward.   
"Yes. There are two others....for now." he said.  
Kylo almost had a heart attack at hearing him say that. He then thought about how much he hated Rey.  
"I must put an end to her." he mumbled under his breath.  
"Don't be so set on getting rid of her just yet." Snoke began. "I sense that she is conflicted and now would be the appropriate time to bring her to the Dark Side."  
Kylo then became curious.

"I don't think it will be that easy." Kylo said.  
"Just give it time....she is confused right now and letting her emotions get the best of her." Snoke began. "A similar way to when Anakin realized his potential with the Dark Side. He didn't just become Darth Vader overnight....It took so much in his life that affected his emotions....Including his relationship with Padme."   
"So what are you saying?" Kylo asked.  
"I say just sit back and wait. Let her actions and emotions get the best of her....and when the time is right, something will happen that she can't change and then that is when she will have no other place to turn, but the Dark Side." Snoke advised.

"You seem very confident in this." Kylo said.  
"Trust me." Snoke began. "Everything will fall into place....history has been known to repeat itself."


	9. The Discovery

Finn, Poe, Lando and BB-8 noticed a stone ruin in the distance and decided to go there. When they were able to get a closer look, they noticed a small ship near it. Poe looked at the ship for a moment and was able to notice that it was in good shape, meaning the pilot must be nearby.  
"Someone's here." Poe said.  
They all observed the ancient markings outside the structure.  
"It's probably a temple." Lando said.

They then quietly walked in. The place was dark, but there were torches lit inside. The group walked on a little bit more and were shocked at what they saw. It was a library filled with endless amounts of scrolls and books. There was also a statue of two men facing away from each other. Finn approached the statue and tried to read the inscription at the bottom, but couldn't understand it because it was in a dead language. 

BB-8 rolled alongside Poe and turned his head as he looked at the place.   
"I wonder what this place is." Poe said.  
"From the looks of it, I bet this place is centuries old." Lando began. "I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime."  
Lando looked over and noticed something must've been on Finn's mind.  
"You ok?" he asked.  
"Yeah." Finn hesitated to say as he looked around.

"Hey look what I found, Finn!" Poe began with a mischievous smile. "It's a book on the art of courting in the ancient Amani civilization! Maybe you could get some tips. I know you need all the help you could get."  
"Haha very funny." Finn said sarcastically.  
"You need help getting ladies?" Lando began. "In my prime, I was quite the smooth talker."  
Finn shook his head and rolled his eyes.  
"He's already got a girl." Poe began as he grinned. "She just doesn't know it yet."   
Finn tried to hold back his smile as he shoved Poe.  
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" he told him.

Finn then started to walk away from them, but Lando approached him.  
"You need some advice?" he asked.  
"I'm fine. Thank you." Finn answered.  
"No you're not." Poe began. "If there's a time to get this off your chest, it's now. Might as well be."  
Finn rolled his eyes again and looked at the both of them. There was an awkward moment of silence.   
"Alright, you know what?" Finn began. "Yes, Poe. I am attracted to Rey. I think she's smart and brave and beautiful. She's unlike anyone I've ever met and....when I first met her....no one had ever looked at me the way she did....she made me feel like, I could be so much more than just an ex-Stormtrooper....she....gave me something to fight for." 

Poe smiled at his friend after hearing him say that. Finn had already knew that he'd been trying to hide his true feeling because he feared that he'd look ridiculous if he admitted to them, but now....he felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. It was another feeling that made him feel more like a normal human being.  
"She sounds like a special girl." Lando said.  
"She is." Finn admitted.  
"She's the new Jedi in training." Poe said.  
Lando then looked at Finn real quick.  
"Son, you better take that opportunity." he said.  
Poe and Finn laughed at Lando's comment then noticed BB-8 beeping.

 

"What is it?" Poe asked.  
BB-8 gestured towards a dark hallway and soon they could hear footsteps approaching them. Finn and Poe quickly grabbed their blasters. The figure finally emerged from the darkness and it was none other than Maz Kanata. 

The boys put down their weapons. Maz fixed her goggles and recognized Finn.  
"I should've known I'd run into you again." she said.  
Maz looked over and noticed Lando.  
"It's been a while since I've seen you. Where have you been hiding out?" she asked.  
"It's great to see you too, Maz." Lando said.  
Maz then looked at Finn again.  
"What brings you here?" she asked.  
"My friend Poe and I were on a recuse mission to get Mr. Calrissian. Our ship was shot down and so, we're here waiting for General Leia....A better question, why are you here and what is this place?" he asked.

Maz walked over to them and put some scrolls in a bag.  
"This is the Kaja and Ajunta temple of knowledge." she began. "Their statue is what you saw when you first walked in. They were the first two people in history to gain the abilities of the force. The two were brothers and were once very close, but as they grew older, they had also grown apart....Kaja went on to form the light side and Ajunta went on to create the dark side." 

They were all fascinated with what she said.  
"Did you ever meet them?" Finn asked.  
"What?! Of course not?" Maz began. "How old do you think I am?"  
Poe looked at Maz for a moment.  
"Do you have anything we could use to contact General Leia?" Poe asked.  
"As a matter of fact, I do." Maz began as she led the way out. "Come out to my ship."  
The group started to follow her, but Finn stopped for a moment and looked back at the endless rows of bookshelves.  
"You coming, Finn?" Poe asked.  
"Yeah....Just give me a second." Finn said as he turned back around.

For some reason, Finn felt like something was leading him. He walked on for a little bit more, turning down different paths as he went. Finn stopped in front of a bookshelf and noticed a worn down journal that was covered in sand. He grabbed it off the shelf and wiped the sand off. Finn opened the journal to the first page and figured out who the journal had once belonged to....Obi-Wan Kenobi.


	10. The Man You Were Meant To Be

Moments later, Finn was outside with everyone else.   
"Where did you go?" Poe began. "We just contacted Leia. She should be here soon."  
Maz noticed the journal in Finn's hand.  
"You have Obi-Wan's journal." she said.  
"Yeah....I just....found it, but I don't know if I should read it or not." Finn said.  
Maz walked up to Finn and put one hand on the journal.  
"Read it." she began. "In fact, you should keep it."  
"Why? It's just a journal." Finn said.  
"That's where you're wrong." Maz began. "Believe it or not, this will help shape you into the man you are meant to become....This journal will lead you to your destiny."

Finn looked at the journal for a moment then back at her. He knew there was something she wasn't telling him and he was slightly scared that he'd have to find out whatever that may be, but he couldn't deny that there was something about that journal that was calling to him. After all, Leia did say that he should read up on him and that his wisdom would benefit him. It all seemed like everything was happening for a reason.

Suddenly BB-8 started beeping and looking towards the sky. They all then noticed a fleet of tie fighters in the sky.   
"RUN!" Poe yelled.   
The tie fighters began shooting at them all and they ran for cover. The tie fighters blew up Maz's ship and attacked part of the temple. As they ran, part of the temple had collapsed and some of the debris had separated Finn from the others. BB-8 was trying to get out of the way as quick as he could, but wasn't fast enough. Poe ran to get him and pick him up, but just when they were heading for cover, they got hit.   
"POE!!!!" Finn yelled.

Poe sat up slowly and gently guided his hand over BB-8. He then looked over to Finn who was standing in the distance.   
"We're fine!" Poe began. "Just go! Get to safety! We'll come find you!"   
Finn didn't want to leave them, but realized he had to trust that they'd be ok. A tie fighter started shooting at him so he hurried away and escaped to the jungle. 

 

At the First Order base, Kylo Ren was determined to find the other force user. It almost drove him crazy knowing that there was another out there besides Luke, Rey and himself. Kylo saw it as his mission to get Rey over to the Dark Side and maybe even the unknown force user. The point of this plan was to make sure he would be able to out number Luke and therefore be more powerful as a whole. He took Snoke's advice and decided to leave Rey alone for a short amount of time so her actions can lead her path. Kylo believed that when he felt the time was right, only then would he attempt to bring her over to the Dark Side. 

As Kylo sat alone, he began to hear that voice again.  
"You don't have to do this." the voice said.  
Kylo reacted to the voice by covering his ears, but he could still hear it.  
"Ben. This is not what I'd want for you." the voice said.  
Kylo had had enough of this voice bothering him.  
"I know it's you, Luke!" he began. "Get out! I've made my decision! Stop!"

Kylo then realized he might be going crazy so he ran to a sink and splashed some water on his face. He was breathing heavy and continued to look down at the sink.  
"You can still go to the light side." the voice began. "I want this family to be together."  
"That's not what my grandfather would want." Kylo said under his breath.  
"Is that what you think?" the voice asked.  
Kylo then looked up to the mirror and saw Anakin's reflection staring back at him. He then screamed and punched the mirror, shattering it into pieces.

Kylo then fell to the floor and sat against the wall. He tried to catch his breath as he had a look of panic upon his face. All kinds of emotions overcame him in that moment. He was scared, confused and heartbroken, but most of all, Ben Solo was lost. He continued to sit on the floor and buried his face.


	11. Reunited

Rey had never seen anything like Felucia. The entire planet was covered in jungles that lasted for miles and miles. She had landed there earlier that day and hoped that she would find Finn. As Rey wandered through the jungle, she came to a stream and needed to get across. It was then that she noticed a rock in the middle of the stream. The rock was wasn't big enough for her to stand on it, but it was perfect for her staff.

Rey did a running start towards the stream, hit her staff on the rock and leaped across to the other side. She looked at her staff with a satisfied look. Rey had always believed that was the best weapon for her. In her mind, she didn't need a lightsaber. Sure, a lightsaber is capable of so much, but to Rey, a staff was all she needed. 

As she got deeper into the jungle, she could hear a strange growling noise. Rey wasn't at all familiar with the plant, so she definitely wasn't aware of the different spices  of plants and animals that inhabited the jungle. Rey walked on a little bit more, but stopped when she was able to sense a creature near her. She looked around, but was prepared to fight. 

Suddenly a huge creature jumped at her, but she dodged it and backed away. It then came running at her and she attacked it with her staff, but soon realized she didn't do anything to it besides make it angry. Rey then pulled out her blaster and shot it in the chest, but it still wasn't injured. After those failed attempts, she decided to run. 

She ran as fast as she could, stepping over plants and moving vines out of her path in the process. The creature started to get closer to her, so she made a quick turn left and when she did, she bumped into Finn.  
"Rey!" "Finn!" they both yelled at the same time. 

There wasn't any time for them to talk because the creature appeared. Finn noticed Rey appeared frightened, but he was very calm about it because he had killed one before. To him, this was the perfect opportunity to show off and impress her. He remained calm and gave a sly smile. Rey looked at him as if he were crazy.

"What are you doing?" Rey asked. "It's skin is not affected by weapons."  
"I know." Finn began as he took a few steps. "But believe it or not, I took down one of these scaly mutts yesterday....watch this."  
Suddenly, an entire herd of those creatures emerged from the jungle. Finn's level of confidence shot down real quick. Rey became even more scared for her friend.   
"You know what Rey? I'll have to show you that trick another time." Finn said as he prepared to run. 

The two then started running away from the herd.   
"I thought you said you killed one!" Rey said.  
"I did! Just ONE though, not forty!" Finn explained.  
They ran faster and Rey tripped. She fell and dropped her staff. Finn turned around and reached out his hand to her.  
"You ok?" he asked.  
Rey looked at him for a moment and realized how similar this was to when they first met. It was like everything in the world had stopped for a moment.  
"Yeah." she answered as she picked up her staff and got back up.

When she grabbed his hand, a new feeling had come over them. It was different than the first time they held each other's hand....it was as if they had become stronger together. Rey, having force abilities and all, was able to tell there was something different about Finn. She could sense a connection with him. A bond that can only be made within the force.

They soon saw the herd getting close and continued to run. The jungle seemed more dense with trees and big plants in the way and the two were surprised when they ended up jumping off a cliff and into a fast flowing river. 

"REY!" Finn yelled as they were carried away.  
Rey saw him and tried to get to him. Finn reached out his hand and she was able to grab it.   
"It's ok. I got you." he said.  
They both then noticed that they were approaching a waterfall and there was no way of getting out of that situation. Finn pulled her close and the two fell over into the river below. 

 

 

At the temple, the gang was able to survive the attack but there was debris everywhere. Poe was adjusting BB-8, Lando paced back and forth because he just wanted to leave the planet and Maz....well she wasn't too happy that the First Order blew up her ship and destroyed the temple.  
"You ok, Maz?" Poe asked.  
"I know, I can't stand them either." Lando said.  
"I swear." she began. "The First Order has another thing coming because this is the last time they...."  
She stopped her rant because she was distracted by the sight of a ship. 

The others looked up and Poe smiled.   
"It's about time." he said.

 

Moments later, the ship had landed and General Leia got out. Lando smiled and walked up to her.  
"You must really care about me considering you sent someone to rescue me." he said.  
"Don't flatter yourself." Leia began. "I wouldn't have to rescue you if you didn't try to take on the First Order single handedly. I know you miss Han, but even I thought that was a stupid decision on your part."  
"But, you still sent help." Lando teased.  
Leia rolled her eyes and Poe walked up to her.

"Where's Finn?" she asked him.  
"We got attacked and got separated." Poe answered.   
"Don't worry. We'll find him." Leia began. "I'm sorry it took so long to get here. We had to make a stop on the way."

Suddenly, Chewbacca and R2-D2 exited the ship. BB-8 quickly rolled over to R2 and Chewie approached Lando.   
"It's been a while." Lando said.  
Chewie roared and hugged Lando.  
"I know....I miss him too." Lando said as he hugged back.

Everyone heard footsteps and looked at the ship to see who was coming off next. To everyone's surprise, it was none other than Luke Skywalker. Everyone had different reactions to seeing him. Lando remembered the old days, Maz adjusted her goggles in disbelief and Poe was in shock because he had always heard legends, but never dreamed he'd meet him in person.

"Where is my daughter?" he asked.

 

 

Finn had washed up onto a small shore and coughed, getting the water out of his system. He wiped the water off his face with his hand and looked around. 

"FINN!" Rey's voiced yelled in excitement as she ran over to him and hugged him so hard, they both fell to the ground.  
"Rey." Finn began as he hugged her. "Thank goodness you're ok."  
"I can't believe we just did that!" Rey exclaimed.  
"I know, right?" Finn said with a smile.  
"And you tried to take on that beast." Rey said with a smile.  
"I'm not lying." Finn began as he laughed. "I killed one yesterday."  
Rey playfully shoved him in disbelief and laughed.  
"I swear!" Finn said.  
They both laughed and then looked at each other for a moment. 

"I've really missed you Finn." Rey said.  
"I've missed you too." Finn began. "It hasn't been the same at all since...."  
Rey then interrupted him by giving him a kiss. When she stopped and looked at him, she couldn't tell what was going through his mind and she felt slightly embarrassed.

"I....I'm sorry." she began awkwardly. "That was stupid of me. You can just forget that ever...."  
She was then interrupted when Finn kissed her back.   
"Rey." he began. "The only thing you need to apologize for is the fact that that kiss is long overdue."   
They both smiled and continued to kiss each other.


	12. Undeniable Attraction

The sun was going down and Rey realized that she'd be better off going back to the Falcon in the morning. She had a small tracker that would lead her straight to it, but she wasn't in any rush. She had already found what she had come to Felucia for. Her and Finn decided to catch up and set up a camp for the night. She went to get some sticks for the fire.

Finn had been letting Obi-Wan's journal dry off. It ended up getting pretty wet when they fell in the water. Even though the pages were wet, he still tried to read it carefully. The journal entries started when Obi-Wan had first started to live on Tatooine. It mentioned how his first few days were lonely as he kept an eye on Luke from a distance. Finn was still fascinated and wanted to read more, but he stopped when Rey had sat beside him. 

 

"What's that?" she asked.  
"You're not going to believe this, but....this is the journal of Obi-Wan Kenobi." Finn answered.  
Rey was surprised. Luke had told her so much about Kenobi and she wondered how and why did Finn have his journal.

"How did you come across that?" she asked.  
"I found it in this old Jedi temple. It's quite interesting actually." Finn answered.  
"I can only imagine." Rey began. "Luke would be so jealous if he found out you had that....Kenobi was his mentor and meant a lot to him."   
"What's Luke like?" Finn began. "Is he like how the stories describe him?" 

Rey sighed and lied down on the grass. She didn't really want to talk about him much.  
"He's....so different than I thought he'd be." she began. "Yes, he's powerful and all, but....he's too strict with his Jedi ways and....he's my father."   
Finn was very surprised to hear her say that and smiled.

"Why do you look upset? You found your father and not only that, but he's THE Luke Skywalker!...I don't see an issue with that." Finn said as he held Rey's hand.  
Rey then sat up and looked into his loving brown eyes.   
"Finn." she began. "Part of the Jedi code means that you can't have attachments, meaning I'm not allowed to care strongly for someone....He didn't want me to come find you, but I did anyway." 

"Rey. You gave up being a Jedi. Why would you do that?" Finn asked.  
"Because you mean so much more to me than that." Rey said.  
She gave him a quick tender kiss and continued to hold his hand.  
"I think you should try talking to Luke." Finn began. "Maybe he can make an exception to the rule." 

Rey then gently ran her fingers over the surface of his jacket, down his arm.  
"He's not going to compromise. He's stubborn." she said.  
"What's so bad about a Jedi having feelings for someone?" Finn asked.  
"Years ago, Luke's father, my grandfather had went against the Jedi council." Rey began. "He had a secret romance with Padme Amidala, my grandmother and let his feelings for her be a distraction....He struggled with so much and his emotions got the best of him....According to Luke, nothing good came from all of that."

"He's wrong. Something good did come from it." Finn began. "He and General Leia came from all of that."  
"And so did Darth Vader." Rey said.   
Finn thought about what she said and realized she had a point.  
"And now, Kylo Ren....He's living proof that our family hasn't been the same since." Rey said.

Suddenly, a light rain had started. Finn and Rey quickly got up and noticed their campfire was put out. The rain then started to pour harder.   
"Where are we going to go?" Rey said as Finn placed his jacket over her head.   
He looked over and saw a cave in the distance.   
"There!" Finn said as he pointed.

The two ran over to the cave quickly and Finn put his jacket back on.   
"We just can't catch a break." he said as he looked at the rain.   
Rey looked deeper into the cave and could see lights coming from somewhere. She then started to walk towards them. Finn noticed she was walking away.  
"Rey? What are you doing?" he asked.  
She gestured him to walk with her and so he did. 

 

The two got closer to the lights and were amazed at what they saw. There were thousands of crystals growing inside the cave. They were growing from the floors, the walls, even the ceiling.

"This is so beautiful." Rey said with a smile as she grabbed Finn's hand.   
Finn was just as amazed as she was. He reached out his hand to touch one, but got burned when he did.  
"Ouch!" he yelled.

Rey checked to see if his hand was ok.   
"It's just a tiny burn. You're fine." she said.  
"What kind of crystals are these?" Finn asked.  
Rey looked at them again. She saw the different colors and noticed most of them were blue, green and red.  
"I think these are where lightsabers come from." she said.  
"What makes you say that?" Finn asked.

"In training, I learned about these tiny crystals that are inside lightsabers. The crystals are very rare and extremely hot....Luke created his green lightsaber with one." Rey explained.  
Finn noticed that Rey had obviously learned a lot from Luke. He then looked at her.  
"I really think you should try to make things right with Luke." he began. "Apparently he's taught you well."

 

Rey quickly turned to look at Finn.  
"Sure, I learned a lot, but I still think the Jedi code is wrong and I don't think we will ever see eye to eye on that....Plus, he left me on Jakku." she said.  
"I'm sure he had a good reason for doing that." Finn said.  
"I don't care." Rey began. "He should've come back for me! It's downright cruel of him to leave his daughter on a desert planet and all those years....nothing."   
Rey then started to tear up a little and Finn hugged her tightly.

Finn knew that it would take some time for Rey and Luke to solve this issue. He gave her a kiss on the forehead as he continued to hug her. Rey then looked up at him.  
"You ok?" Finn asked her.  
"Yeah....It's just, I never realized how much you meant to me until we were separated. No one has ever cared for me like you have." Rey said.

Finn smiled realizing that's exactly how he felt about her.   
"You want to know something?" he said.  
"What?" Rey asked.  
"When you just randomly kissed me earlier today, that was my first kiss." Finn admitted.  
Rey smiled at him.  
"Mine too." she said. 

They both then smiled and kissed each other. The two of them decided to sit near the wall of the cave, a few feet away from the crystals.  
"When did you realize you liked me more than a friend?" Finn asked.  
"To be honest." Rey began softly. "It was when I found out you decided to rescue me from the Starkiller, but I didn't know what those feeling meant at the time. It wasn't until I went to train with Luke that I realized what those feelings meant....How about you? When we're you smitten?"

"Rey." Finn began. "I fell for you the moment I saw you on Jakku."   
Rey then smiled and looked at him.  
"That was before I knew of my abilities." she said.  
"Yeah....Before everything we went through. Before we flew the Falcon, met Han Solo and took on Kylo Ren....when I first saw you, I saw something worth fighting for." Finn said genuinely. 

Rey climbed onto his lap and gave him a kiss. No one had ever felt that way about her before. She realized that to him, she meant something. Her feelings for Finn were much stronger than ever. She wanted to show him how much she loved him because to her, there were no other guys like Finn anywhere in the universe. She then came up with an idea and thought it was crazy at first, but then decided to try. Rey stopped kissing Finn and looked into his eyes.

 

"Finn." she began. "I've never felt this way about anyone before and I wanted to show you how I felt, but...."  
"But what? What is it?" Finn asked.  
"You must be willing to do the same." Rey said.   
Finn held her hand and continued to look at her. They were both thinking the same thing and he started to grow a smile.  
"Sure." he said. 

Rey then leaned forward and they continued to kiss. A few seconds later, she helped Finn remove his jacket.


	13. A Hidden Potential

The next morning, Finn and Rey were almost to the Falcon. The trip was taking a little bit longer than Rey expected to because her tracker started to malfunction.  
"We should be almost there." Rey began. "But for some reason, the tracker is saying the Falcon is gone....that's strange."

Finn had continued to read Obi-Wan's journal. He'd been reading it all morning and couldn't put it down. He'd gotten to the middle of the journal and discovered that even Obi-Wan had went against the Jedi code.

"Rey. Did you know that Kenobi fell in love with a woman he met on Tatooine? It's says here her name was Sidara." Finn said.  
Rey was surprised to hear that.  
"Is that so?" she began. "Maybe Luke should read that journal. It might change his perspective on things."   
The two then continued to walk.

 

At the First Order base, Kylo was summoned to speak with Snoke. He entered the usual room and saw Snoke's hologram looking back at him.   
"Yes, Supreme Leader." Kylo said.  
"The time has come. Bring me the girl. I sense she's here." Snoke commanded.  
"Already?" Kylo began. "I thought the plan was to let her stray away from the light side, so we could bring her to join us?"  
"She hasn't completely strayed away, but she has done enough that has terminated any chance of her ever being a Jedi."Snoke explained.  
Kylo was confused for a moment.  
"I sense a power within her that is much stronger than anyone I've come across in many years....Bring her to me." 

 

In the jungle, Rey was getting frustrated that her tracker wasn't working. Finn thought about the fact that he was walking with her and realized that he still needed to find Poe and the others.  
"Rey?" he began. "What's the plan after we find the Falcon? Are you going to take me to the Resistance base and then go back to training with Luke?"  
Rey turned around and looked at him.

"No. Why would I do that?" she asked.  
"Well, I have to complete my mission and you have to finish your Jedi training." Finn explained.  
"I'm not going back to Luke!" Rey began. "And why would I have to bring you to the Resistance when I've already found you?"

Finn then got a little upset with her.  
"I understand that, but you and I have different tasks to finish!" he began. "What were you going to do when we got to the Falcon? Were you just gonna run away from it all?"   
"YES!" Rey yelled. "The both of us have no business being involved in this intergalactic war that's going on!....Now, I think back to that day when you asked me to come with you and runaway from it all....I should've went." 

"We're already too deep in all of this!" Finn began. "WE are part of this war whether you like it or not."   
Rey rolled her eyes and turned away from him.  
"I knew you wouldn't understand." she said under her breath.  
"Understand what? That you want to just bail on everyone that's relying on us? Relying on YOU! " Finn said.

Rey then turned to him.  
"Finn!" she began. "I can't take this anymore! Being involved in this war....This isn't normal!"  
"When have our lives ever been normal?" Finn asked. "So, you wanted to leave. Where would we go?"  
"I want to have a life away from this nonsense!" Rey began. "I wanted to start over and settle down....I wanted to finally have what I've always longed for."  
"And what's that? What's so important that you'd throw away everything for?" Finn asked.  
"A family." Rey answered.

They both looked at each other for a moment. Finn thought about what she said and realized he was nowhere near ready to give up everything for that. Maybe at some point in the future he'd want to settle down, but he just couldn't do it now. Not when the war is still going on and he knew he could help the Resistance.

"I'm sorry Rey." he began. "You know I'd do anything for you, but....the Resistance, they need me....and they need you too."

 

Rey tried to hold back her tears and Finn tried to hug her for comfort, but she pushed him away.   
"Fine....I guess this is goodbye." she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.   
Finn stood there, not knowing what to say and Rey disappeared into the jungle. His heart felt as if it had been shattered like broken glass. Finn then turned around and walked the opposite way.

 

Kylo's ship flew over the jungle as he searched for Rey. When he was able to sense that she was near, he commanded for the ship to land. Moments later, Kylo stepped off of the ship with a few Stormtroopers. He was able to sense Rey nearby and was surprised that her presence in the force was a hundred times stronger than before, but as he walked towards Rey's direction, he noticed he was able to sense another force user not too far away. 

"Orders Sir?" a Stormtrooper asked.  
"I'll go find the girl....the rest of you, start heading that direction." he said as he pointed to another area of the jungle. 

Rey walked through the jungle with her tracker in her hand. She was getting annoyed that it wasn't working. She wondered why it kept saying the Millennium Falcon was gone. Suddenly Rey felt something stop her from walking. She hadn't felt that power since Kylo Ren and she was right. He soon came up to her and removed his mask.

"We meet again." he said.  
Rey looked at him angrily and snapped out of his force hold. She grabbed her staff and knocked him down.

Kylo was very shocked when this happened because no one was able to break out of his force hold. He could tell that she had been training. Rey held her staff and kept her stance over him.  
"Don't make another move." she said.

"Someone's been practicing." Kylo began. "You find a teacher? Let me guess, Luke?"  
Kylo then made Rey fall on her back and made the jungle vines restrain her.   
"I've found a teacher as well." he said. 

 

As Finn walked alone, he placed the journal inside his jacket pocket. Soon, he was able to sense a threat nearby. He quickly turned around and heard a scream in the distance.  
"Rey." he said in a concerned tone.

Finn started running towards the scream, but was stopped by a group of Stormtroopers.  
"FN-2187." one said as he held up his gun.  
Finn quickly grabbed his blaster and shot two Stormtroopers. The others tried to come at him all at once, but he dodged their shots and continued running towards Rey. 

As the Stormtroopers chased him, he eventually saw Kylo's ship. Finn quickly looked around and didn't see Kylo or Rey anywhere. Suddenly, he was knocked down by a Stormtrooper from behind. When he fell, he dropped his blaster. Finn then looked up and saw five of them running towards him. They all had their guns ready to shoot and in response, Finn lifted his hand towards them. When he did, the Stormtroopers were all lifted off the ground and thrown far away against the trees.

Finn was surprised he managed to do that and wondered how it happened. When he stood up, he was still confused and picked up his blaster.   
"Whoa." he said under his breath.   
He then looked over and saw Kylo controlling Rey. He had her lifted in the air as he force choked her. 

 

More Stormtroopers came out of Kylo's ship and started running towards Finn. Kylo took Rey inside his ship and used the force to put her unconscious. As he set the restrains on her, he glanced out the window and saw Finn going through his Stormtroopers like nothing. This made Kylo angry and he quickly rushed back outside. Finn had defeated another Stormtrooper and noticed Kylo was coming towards him.

"I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU!!!!" Kylo yelled as he headed towards Finn.   
He pulled out his lightsaber and was ready to fight. Finn seemed at a disadvantage because  all he had was a blaster and some unknown new abilities.  
Just when Kylo was about to attack him, Finn lifted his hand in his direction and caused Kylo to put his lightsaber down and freeze. He wasn't strong enough to hold him like that any longer and ended up making Kylo lift up then slammed him against his ship.

Kylo fell to the ground and got up slowly as he looked at Finn.   
"Impossible." Kylo said under his breath.  
He couldn't believe that an ex-Stormtrooper managed to be an actual threat to him. Finn was shocked at what he did, but tried to remain calm. Kylo then used the force to choke Finn from a distance. 

"This time, you're going to stay dead." Kylo said as he got up.  
As he force choked Finn, he found it difficult to completely end him because there was a force that was fighting against him.  
Eventually Finn collapsed and blacked out. Some Stormtroopers came up to Finn and had their guns ready to fire.  
"On your command, Sir." one said. 

"No....I'll finish him." Kylo said as he prepared to end Finn.  
Suddenly, Kylo's crew started getting shot at. He looked up and saw the Resistance attacking and heading their direction. Kylo knew he was now low on Stormtroopers, what with Finn taking them out and all. He knew the few he had left couldn't stand a chance against them.   
"Back to the ship!" Kylo commanded.  
Within the next moment, they were all back on the ship and went away.

 

Finn was still lying on the grass and opened his eyes when the ship was leaving. Poe rushed over to him to see if he was ok.  
"Finn! You alright, Finn!" he asked. 


	14. There's something about Finn

Later, Finn and Poe were aboard the Resistance ship. The two of them were looking for General Leia. Finn needed to speak with her.  
"Finn, you're never gonna believe what happened." Poe began. "I met Luke Skywalker!"   
Finn was shocked to hear Poe say that and turned to look at him.

"What?" he began surprised. "Where is he now?"   
"He, Chewie and R2 found the Millennium Falcon and went to go find Rey. He seemed pretty upset knowing she ran away from training." Poe said.  
"When did you last see them?" Finn asked.  
"They were following Kylo Ren's ship. Apparently, he took her." Poe answered.  
"Where is this ship going?" Finn asked.  
"Back to the Resistance base." Poe answered.

"No. We've got to follow them!" Finn said as he hurried down the hall of the ship.  
Poe started to tun with him.  
"You want us to help them? That's Luke Skywalker! I can assure you, he doesn't need our help." he said.  
"No. It's not that....I need to speak to Rey. Just one last time." Finn said as he stopped and looked at his friend.  
Poe smiled a mischievous smile.  
"I knew something was different about you." he began. "So how are things going with you two?"   
"We're kind of a thing now, but I'm not really for sure." Finn explained.   
Finn then continued to hurry down the hall with Poe following after him. 

 

They both finally came to a room and found General Leia talking to Lando.   
"Finn." Leia began. "We were just talking about you."   
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but we need to turn this ship around and follow Luke." Finn said.  
Leia looked at Finn and realized why he wanted to turn around. She could tell that Finn was in love. She smiled a little bit because Finn's love for Rey, reminded her of how Han thought of her for so many years.  
"I'll have the ship turned around and we'll find Rey." she began. "But first,....Finn, I'm sure you've met Lando Calrissian by now."

"Yeah. Poe and I rescued him from the First Order base the other day." Finn answered.   
He then looked at Lando and realized something was bothering him. Lando had a look of shock and a mixture of all kinds of emotions.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
Lando then walked up to Finn and put one hand on his shoulder. He looked as if he was about to cry.

"Finn....you're my son." he said warmly.  
Finn was in shock and looked as if he were about to cry. He hugged Lando for a moment and was still trying to comprehend what had happened. For the first time in his life, Finn had a piece of the life he never knew. As he hugged Lando, he looked over his father's shoulder at General Leia. 

"Thank you." he whispered.   
Leia smiled at him and felt happy about reuniting a father and son, but she then thought about something else she knew about Finn....something she just couldn't tell him. Not yet anyway.

 

On Kylo's ship, Rey woke up and found herself restrained. These restraints were different than the last time. Even though Rey was upset, she didn't even try and bother escaping. She felt that she had lost everything and there was nowhere to turn. Kylo soon entered the room.

"Where are you taking me?" Rey asked.  
"It doesn't matter." Kylo began. "All you need to know is that it's far away and you won't be able to escape this time."  
Rey rolled her eyes and didn't seem at all threatened by him.  
"Why did you come in here? To scare me? To get information from me?" she asked.

Kylo then grew angry that she wasn't threatened. Rey then read his mind and was shocked at what she found.  
"Finn." she said under her breath softly. "Even after our argument, he came back."   
"How long did you know of his abilities?" Kylo asked.  
Rey looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.  
Kylo grew frustrated that she wouldn't tell him.  
"HE'S FORCE SENSITIVE!!!!" Kylo yelled as he began. "I slaughtered every known force sensitive being except for you and Luke....How is it possible for him, a Stormtrooper to be in tune with the force?!" 

Rey was surprised to hear that and wondered why Finn never told her.  
"Why didn't he tell me?" Rey asked herself.  
"He's the only other one out there besides you and Luke?" Kylo began angrily. "Tell me what you know! What's your plan because apparently Supreme Leader Snoke wants you for something and I don't even know what it is! He says you are of great importance to him! Tell me , are there others....will there be others?" 

Rey was still surprised hear that Finn was force sensitive. She knew that she could sense something about him, but she didn't realize it was the force.   
"I swear, I didn't know." Rey said.  
Kylo then started to leave the room.  
"You can tell that to Snoke." he said as he walked out the door.

 

On the Resistance ship, Finn had sat with Lando and they talked for awhile.   
"So, you named me after your friend." Finn began. "Does that mean my birth name is Han?"   
Lando smiled and gave his son a pat on the back.  
"Technically yes, but I can still call you Finn if you want me too." he said with a smile.  
"And about my mother....you said her name was Kaida?" Finn asked.  
"Yes." Lando began. "She was from Tatooine....I can tell have her eyes and my flawless smile." 

They both then laughed.  
"Everyone in the Resistance has been talking about what you did for them....I'm proud of you." Lando began. "You must've gotten that bravery from me."  
Leia walked up to the both of them.   
"Oh, please. He got that bravery from Kaida's side of the family." she said to Lando.  
Leia then looked at Finn.  
"I knew your mother many years ago and believe me, she was a fighter." she began. "She was very independent and could handle anything herself."   
Finn smiled and wished he'd gotten to know his mother. 

Suddenly, C3-PO entered the room.  
"Mr. Calrissian, the pilot needed a word with you." he said.  
"On my way." Lando began as he got up. "I'll be right back, Finn."

 

Moments later, Lando left the room and Leia walked a few steps away to speak with a Resistance member. Finn took a seat at a table and opened up Obi-Wan's journal to read some more. Then, out of nowhere, Poe decided to take a seat across from him. 

"So, how do you feel man? You just found your father." Poe asked.  
"I feel really good. It's amazing how this is all happening so fast, but I'd feel even better after I get to speak to Rey." Finn answered.  
"Speaking of Rey, what happened when you were separated from us?" Poe began. "Anything new?"

Finn thought about all that had happened and realized how crazy that whole experience was. He and Rey for a while felt like the only two people in existence. That entire time away from everything made them grow closer to each other and it seemed their relationship had moved way too fast. He thought about the kiss and the flirting and that night in the crystal cave. There was no way he was ever going to tell Poe everything that happened. 

 

"Uh, well....we kissed." Finn said awkwardly as he looked at his journal.  
Poe smiled and shook his head.  
"Alright....that's some progress." he began. "Anything else?"  
Finn looked up at Poe and wasn't expecting him to ask another question.

"Uh, we confessed our feelings and realized we liked each other." Finn said.   
Poe shook his head and smiled again.   
"That's good, but....I've noticed something different about you." he began. "Did you...."  
Poe noticed General Leia was standing not too far away and could probably hear them.  
"Lose something?" Poe asked.

Finn looked at him completely confused.   
"No. I've got my jacket, the journal and my blaster. That's all I had when I got separated from you guys." he answered.

Poe rolled his eyes, sighed and shook his head. He realized Finn wasn't going to understand what he was trying say. Finn went back to reading the journal. Poe then picked up a cup and threw it at Finn's face. But he did it quickly so General Leia wouldn't notice.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Finn asked angrily.  
"I'm going to ask you this one more time. Look into my eyes.....Did you lose anything?" Poe asked.  
Finn was getting angry with Poe.  
"I already told you. No!" Finn exclaimed.  
He then went back to reading the journal.

Poe then flicked Finn's ear. Finn was very angry and hit Poe in the face. It wasn't long before the two of them were fighting on the floor and causing a scene. General Leia then ran over to them.

"Get up! Both of you!" she commanded. "I will not accept this rough-housing behavior on my ship from you boys!"   
Poe and Finn both got up.  
"Excuse me, General, but Finn's not a boy anymore. He's a man now....Isn't that right, Finn?" Poe said as he looked at Finn with a wink.  
Leia rolled her eyes and walked away. She didn't want to know what was going on with them. Finn still didn't get the joke and just walked away. Poe smiled as Finn left the room. He knew something big happened between them and it wasn't just a kiss either.


	15. All Hope is Lost

On Kylo Ren's ship, Rey was being moved to a holding cell. There were two Stormtroopers on each side of her and Kylo led the way as they walked down the hall. As they walked, Rey thought about the fact that Finn is force sensitive and realized that she needed to confront him about it, but she needed to find a way out. Rey observed the area around them and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to escape. 

Rey quickly used the force to push Kylo Ren forward and knocked over both Stormtroopers before they could stop her. She turned around and ran as fast as she could down the hall. As she ran, she found her staff and fought off more Stormtroopers.  

Rey came up with an idea that maybe if she could get to the pilot and take him out, she could at least gain control of the ship. Just when she almost made it, she felt a terrible pain inside her. There was a strong presence in the force and she fell to the ground. The pain was so bad, that she could barely move. Tears ran down her face and she heard footsteps coming her way. 

Seconds later, the pain had stopped. Rey sat up and saw Kylo standing before her.  
"What did you do to me?" she asked him.  
Kylo stared at her in shock.  
"I....I didn't do that." he said.   
Rey was confused. She knew she felt a powerful presence in the force. One that was way more powerful than she'd ever witnessed. A power even more stronger than Luke.   
"But...." she began in a worried tone. "If it wasn't you....then where....?"  
"I think you should have a word with Snoke immediately." Kylo said. 

 

Moments later, Kylo and Rey were in another part of the ship. Kylo contacted Snoke and awaited his response. Soon, Snoke's hologram appeared before them. Rey was surprised to see Snoke. She was a little bit frightened, but refused to let it show.

"Supreme Leader,...." Kylo began. "We sensed a presence in the force that was....unusual."   
"I'm aware." Snoke began. "That is the very reason why I requested that you bring me the girl."   
Snoke then looked at Rey.  
"You are unaware of the power that lies within you." he said.

"I want to know what's going on." Rey began. "What do you want with me?"   
"I sent Kylo Ren to bring you to me because you would be an important addition to the Dark Side....We need you to join us." Snoke said.  
"I will never join you! Do you realize that you're responsible for the deaths of so many innocent people?" Rey began. "Why would I join you?"

"Because you have nowhere else to go." Snoke said.  
"What do you mean? I can complete my Jedi training and come back to put an end to all of you! I'm with the Light Side and nothing can change that!" Rey yelled.   
"That's where you're wrong!" Snoke began. "You don't realize what has happened....and this is only the beginning....These past few days, you've slowly drifted away from the Jedi ways of life. You wanted to run away and you refused to listen to Luke....Now, you have completely tarnished any chance you ever had of being a Jedi."

Rey got worried about what Snoke had said.  
"What's happened to me?" she asked.  
Snoke was then able to use the force to get into Rey's mind. It was then that Rey understood what was going on. Her eyes began to tear up.

 

"No." she said as she shook her head.  
"I understand that this will take some time for you to accept this." Snoke began. "But you should be honored that you were chosen to fulfill this destiny....I haven't sensed this power in the force since....Anakin Skywalker."

Kylo was shocked to hear Snoke say that to Rey. He had given up everything to fulfill his grandfather's footsteps and he was a little upset realizing that there could be another chosen one. Rey looked at Snoke with tears in her eyes.

"I don't believe you! You're lying!" she yelled.  
"The force doesn't lie." Snoke replied.  
Rey then fell to her knees, sobbing more. It all happened so fast. There was no way she'd be able to be a Jedi now. Everyone looked to her to be their hope, but she let everyone down. The life she knew before, was over.

"Rey....you have a place among us now." Snoke began. "Just give it time because within you lies the key to Darth Vader's legacy."


	16. Risk

While aboard the Resistance ship, everyone got informed that Kylo Ren's ship had decided to make a stop at a First Order base on the mountain covered planet of Endel. The Resistance was preparing to land and General Leia approached Finn.   
"You don't have a lot of time." she began. "I'm sending you in with a squadron and most of us will be out here in case there's any trouble." 

Finn appreciated that General Leia had decided to help him find Rey, but he didn't want a squadron coming in there with him. He wanted to go find her on his own. Before he could suggest the idea to her, she was already gone and talking with other members of the Resistance.

Their ship soon landed and Poe walked up to Finn.   
"The General assigned me to go with you." Poe said.  
"I appreciate the help, but....I've got to do this on my own." Finn explained.  
Poe then smiled and gave his friend a pat on the back.

"But I gotta figure out how to get in there alone without the General noticing me." Finn began. "I don't think she wants me to go in there on my own."  
Poe then noticed a way for him to go in without Leia noticing.  
"I think I can help you with that." he began. "Quick. Come with me." 

 

Inside the base, Kylo walked with Rey and some Stormtroopers. Rey was no longer the tough spirit she always was. She felt like she had a broken soul. Rey had lost all hope and just went along with everything. She didn't really want to talk to anyone for the time being. However, she was slowly getting even more mad with Kylo because he had been fussing and complaining about the whole situation the entire time since they found out. 

"It just doesn't make sense!" Kylo began. "All of those years I spent wanting to follow Vader's footsteps, all mean nothing now because you decided to be nothing more than a rebellious harlot!"   
This made Rey very angry so she used the force to knock him against the wall. Kylo then almost attacked back, but Rey stopped him.  
"I'm pretty sure Snoke wouldn't appreciate it if you do that." she told him.

Kylo then let his guard down. She was right. Snoke had told Kylo to make sure no harm comes to Rey. If she even gets a scratch, he'll have to answer for it. Rey felt a little bit better realizing that she in a way had power over Kylo Ren. 

 

At the Resistance ship, General Leia searched everywhere for Finn. No one seemed to know where he went. She then approached Lando.  
"Do you know where Finn is?" she began. "I have a group that's ready to go in the base with him."   
"No, I haven't seen him. I thought he was with you." Lando answered.

Leia thought about where he could be and decided to go find Poe. Lando came along with her. Leia asked the other Resistance members of Poe's whereabouts and they all gave her his location. Soon, Poe noticed her and Lando coming his way. He tried to remain calm. 

"Yes, General?" Poe said.  
"Where is Finn? I know you know where he is." Leia said.   
Poe hesitated a moment, realizing he didn't think of what to expect when his plan got him this far.   
"Poe." Lando began. "Tell us now!" 

Poe couldn't take it any longer.  
"He's....He's already inside the base." he admitted.  
"YOU LET HIM GO IN THERE ALONE?!" Leia yelled.  
She then quickly turned around and started to storm away. Poe followed her and tried to explain.   
"General." he began. "Finn told me he had to do this alone. I just had to help him."   
"Poe Dameron! You better hope he makes it out of there breathing and in one piece or you can say goodbye to your placement in the Resistance!"

Poe thought about it and realized that if everything fails, he'd manage to be the first person in history to get kicked out of the Resistance. How stupid do you have to be to get kicked out of the Resistance?.....It would be a new level of stupid. He then looked at the First Order base from afar.

"Crap!" he said under his breath.

 

Moments later, Kylo put Rey in a cell and made sure it was guarded by two Stormtroopers.   
"Don't get any ideas about escaping." he told her.  
Rey gave him a mean look.  
"Oh believe me. You won't have to worry about that." she began. "Why are we here in the first place? Weren't we supposed to go to Snoke?"

"I'm here taking care of business. After that, then we leave." Kylo said.  
Rey could still tell that Kylo hated her guts, but she didn't care at all. He blamed her for ruining his life goals. 

Suddenly, the two of them felt a presence in the force. The both looked at each other realizing who it was.  
"Luke's here." Rey said under her breath.  
"I've awaited this day." Kylo said as he took out his lightsaber.   
He then hurried down the hall.


	17. Rey's Secret

Rey continued to sit in the cell. She paced back and forth for a few moments and thought about all that's happened. It was all so much for her to take in. Rey then started to think about how much her life was going to change. 

Suddenly, she heard shots from a blaster down the hall. The two Stormtroopers that were guarding her cell ran towards the action, but they were quickly taken out. Rey was curious and went to the door of the cell. Seconds later, Finn appeared in front of her. 

"Finn!" she said with a smile.   
Finn used his blaster to open the cell door. He then ran into the cell and gave her a kiss. As they kissed, Rey put her arms around him. Finn then stopped.   
"Sorry, I was just feeling heroic at the moment and got carried away." Finn admitted.  
Rey smiled at him realizing how much she loved how dorky Finn could be at times. 

Finn then grabbed Rey's hand and started to lead her out of the cell. Rey's smile went away when she realized what she had to tell him.  
"Finn....I have to tell you something." she said.  
"I have to tell you something too, but we have to talk later. I've got to get you out of here." Finn said.   
The two of them quickly hurried out of the cell.

 

In another area of the base, Kylo Ren was following his force sense and looking for Luke. He could feel that he was getting close. Kylo turned a corner and saw some of his Stormtroopers defeated. He grew very angry and was ready to fight, but something stopped him. 

"Where's Rey?" a voice said from behind him.   
Kylo recognized the voice and turned around. Luke Skywalker stood just a few feet before him. They hadn't seen each other in so many years.   
"What makes you think I'm going to tell you where she is?" Kylo began. "How do you know I haven't killed her?"

"Because." Luke began. "I know you care for your younger cousin. After all, you refused to end her the first time when you had the chance to years ago."   
Kylo then quickly got angry.   
"You think I'm weak!" Kylo yelled.  
"No." Luke began. "I think your true place is with the Light Side."   
Kylo then prepared to fight Luke.   
"I'd rather die." he said.   
"I'm not fighting my nephew. I have more important issues to worry about." Luke said. 

Kylo grew frustrated and started charging towards Luke with his lightsaber, but just when he was about to attack, Luke made a swift movement with his hand and caused Kylo to fall. Kylo then tried to get up, but Luke used to force to make him be still for a moment. He struggled to get up, but Luke wouldn't allow it.

"Where's Rey? Tell me!" Luke demanded.  
Kylo still struggled, but remained stubborn. Luke then used the force to go into his thoughts and find out where he had placed Rey. 

"You put her in a cell!" Luke said angrily.  
He then started to go find Rey, but Kylo had to make one last comment.  
"Finding her won't make a difference...." he began. "When you find her,....you're not going to be happy."   
Luke heard what he said and got a little bit worried. He then used the force to stop restraining Kylo. When Luke did that, Kylo coughed and tried catch his breath. When he looked up, Luke was gone. 

 

Finn and Rey made their way down the halls. Finn fought off more Stormtroopers and noticed something was different about Rey.   
"Are you ok?" Finn asked.  
"Finn. Just listen to me for a moment." Rey said.

Suddenly, some Stormtroopers were about to attack them. Finn blocked Rey and lifted his right hand. When he did, the Stormtroopers were slammed into the wall. Rey was surprised at what she saw. Finn really was force sensitive.

"Since when have you been able to do that?" Rey asked.  
"That's one of the things I needed to tell you." Finn began. "I've noticed these abilities for the past few days, just I didn't know where it came from."   
"You're force sensitive! Just like me!" Rey explained.  
Finn was surprised. He was happy, but still very surprised.

 

Luke hurried to the cell where Kylo had left her only to discover that she wasn't there anymore. He noticed the cell door looked like it had been shot with a blaster. Luke thought about who would've helped her escape.  
"Of course....the boy." he said under his breath.

The Resistance members were outside near their ship. Many of them had their weapons ready to open fire on any Stormtroopers. Poe stood between Lando and General Leia. He was very nervous and wanted Finn to make it out safely. Soon, they all saw Finn running and holding Rey's hand. Stormtroopers started appearing outside the base with their weapons ready.   
"Alright, Rey. We're almost there!" Finn said as he ran.  
"Finn! Just wait a minute!" Rey said.  
They both stopped running and stood in an open field between the ship and the base.

Luke appeared near the Resistance members he looked up and could see Kylo on the second floor of the base in the distance.  
"Leia." Luke began. "He's gonna make them open fire."  
"We're all in place in case they do." Leia answered.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!!!!" Kylo yelled.   
The Stormtroopers then calmed their weapons. Luke and Leia looked at each other. Both confused as to what was going on. Kylo looked down towards the field and could see Rey standing there with Finn. Rey looked at Kylo speechless. Everything became so silent that all you could hear was the wind.

 

"IT'S TIME YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE! DO IT FAST OR I'LL OPEN FIRE ON ALL OF THEM!" Kylo shouted.  
Finn was confused and looked at Rey.   
"What is he talking about?" he asked.  
Rey looked at him sadly.

"I....I can't be a Jedi anymore." Rey said quietly.  
"What?" Finn began. "Is this because of your issues with Luke? You can always fix that. I told you that you should talk with him about it."  
"No. Not this time....You see, what I've done is unforgivable....and I have nowhere else to turn....Trust me, Luke will never want to teach me." Rey said.  
"Rey. Tell me what's going on?" Finn asked.

Both sides, the Resistance and the First Order weren't able to hear their conversation. They all were very curious though. Rey placed her hand on the side of Finn's face as she looked into his eyes. Finn could see that she was hurt and going through a lot.

"I want you to know that....I take full responsibility for all of this." she began with tears in her eyes. "I was selfish and I was angry with Luke....and then, I made some unwise decisions....I don't want to drag you into all of this. It's all my fault." 

Finn pulled Rey close and hugged her.   
"What does the First Order want with you? Do they want you for your power?" Finn asked.  
Rey wiped her eyes and looked at him.   
"They say....I hold the key to Darth Vader's legacy." she said.

"Sure, you're Luke's daughter, but that doesn't mean you have to be like Vader!" Finn began. "They just want you for your power!"  
"No....Not my power." Rey said.  
Finn looked confused. Rey then decided to give him a kiss. She grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes.   
"Finn....Will you promise me you won't tell anyone?" Rey asked.  
Finn seemed a little nervous and confused all at the same time, but he remained calm.  
"I promise." he told her.

 

Rey then leaned towards Finn to whisper in his ear. Everyone continued to watch the both of them. They were still curious as to what they were talking about. When Rey looked at Finn, she couldn't tell what he was thinking.   
"Are you sure?" he managed to ask.  
"Positive. The force....it doesn't lie." Rey began. "Are you ok?"

Finn felt as if he was losing oxygen all of a sudden.   
"Yeah." he lied.  
Finn looked at everyone from the Resistance members to the Stormtroopers and then back at Rey. She looked very worried. Within the next second, Finn passed out.


	18. A Surprising New Hope

Finn woke up and realized he was back at the Resistance base. He noticed it was the same spot where he woke up from his coma. It made him wonder, Was everything that had happened just a dream? Poe noticed Finn was up and went to him.

"Thank goodness you're ok." Poe told him.  
Finn then sat up and looked around the room. Much like when had woke from his coma, all he could think about, was Rey. He started to get off the cot, but Poe stopped him.

"Whoa! Finn. Calm down." he said.  
"I need to find Rey." Finn said.  
Poe shook his head and looked at him.  
"If I were you, I'd try to lay low for awhile." he suggested.  
Finn was confused.  
"Why?" he asked.  
"After we brought you back to the base,...." Poe began. "I over heard Luke Skywalker talking down the hall....he's not happy." 

All of a sudden, Finn realized it all wasn't a dream. It was all really happening. He felt his heart sink in fear and started to panic.   
"Poe." he began. "I need you to kill me."  
Poe laughed.  
"I'm not killing you." he began. "Why would you want me to do that?"  
"Because I'd rather die at the hands of my friend, than Luke Skywalker!" Finn began. "What did you hear him say?"

"It wasn't that bad." Poe began. "Just something about how he blames you for distracting Rey from training and that you've corrupted her and that because of you, his daughter joined the Dark Side....you know, usual angry dad stuff."   
Finn wondered if Luke knew anything about what Rey told him. 

"You don't think he'd actually harm me, do you?" Finn asked.  
"Oh yeah, I'm sure he will." Poe said with a grin.  
"This isn't funny!" Poe told him.  
"I know." Poe began. "But don't worry,....the General thinks a lot of you and I don't think she'd let her brother....you know, actually kill you." 

The two of them then heard a noise from down the hallway. Poe got up to look out the door.  
"You see anything?" Finn asked.  
"Yeah....I'm sorry man, but you're screwed." Poe said.   
"Oh, no!" Finn said under his breath in a nervous tone.   
He got off the cot and looked at Poe.  
"You've got to hide me!" Finn begged.  
"Where the hell am I going to hide you?" Poe asked.

 

Suddenly, the boys could hear arguing down the hall and the voices got closer. Within the next second, Luke had entered the room with Lando. The two men had been arguing and talking over each other. Then Luke stopped and looked at Finn. Finn just stood still and didn't move.   
"You!" Luke began as he walked up to him. "Do you realize what you've done?"

Suddenly more Resistance members came over to watch. Finn stood speechless in front of Luke and didn't know what to say.   
"I....I'm sorry." he managed to say to him.  
"Sorry? That's all you can say?" Luke began. "Let me tell you something, my family has had the misfortune of my father joining the Dark Side, but he was able to redeem himself, then years later, my nephew betrayed our entire family and turned to the Dark Side....My daughter was our only hope left and now....she's joined the Dark Side. I would like to know why. What did she tell you? Because this....this is all on you." 

Everyone watched as Luke vented his anger and Finn still stood before him. Finn thought about what Luke said and realized something.  
"I don't believe it's my fault she joined the Dark Side." he said.   
"Really? Then who's fault is it?" Luke asked.  
"Yours." Finn stated.

 

After he said that, everyone gasped. Luke got even more furious with him, but for some reason all of a sudden, something came over Finn that made him feel stronger and not intimidated anymore. As Luke stood in front of Finn, he began to pick up on the fact that Finn was force sensitive. Luke was in shock and didn't know what to say. He then took one more step closer to him. 

"How would this be my fault?" Luke asked.  
"Because....when she found me, she was very upset with you." Finn began. "And I understand why she was. You, her father, left her on a desert planet for years and not only that, but you wiped her memory. And what's worse, you had no intention of coming back for her....ever."   
"That was all done to protect her!" Luke began. "I made that decision as a caring father....If you were in my position and found out your child was destined to join the Dark Side, you'd do the same thing."  
Luke then turned around and started to walk away.

"That's where you're wrong!" Finn said.  
Everyone was shocked. Luke then turned back around towards Finn.  
"You see,...." Finn began as he stepped towards Luke. "I would never abandon my child....even if I knew there was a chance they'd join the Dark Side. The way I see it, as long as the child has a family and people around them that love them, they would have no reason to turn evil. It's just that simple."

Luke stepped up to Finn and looked at him in the eyes.   
"No father in the entire universe would have the guts to make the decision I did." Luke began. "So you think you would've handled it better than me? You don't know what that's like to be in that position. Who are you to say you'd be a better father than me?"  
"With all due respect, Sir....I KNOW I'd make a better father than you." Finn said. 

There was silence in the room and Luke grew very angry. Suddenly, he used the force to freeze Finn. Everyone started to back away and got worried. Finn however, wasn't the least bit scared. Luke wanted to know what Rey told him and was about to go into Finn's mind, but then Leia burst through the crowd. 

 

"Luke! That's enough!" she yelled.  
Luke then let go of his grip on Finn with the force and looked at his sister.  
"You stay out of this, Leia." he said.  
Leia ignored what he said and walked closer to him.  
"Luke....You've always been so over dramatic." she said.

Leia then walked over to Finn.  
"You ok?" she asked.  
"Yeah." Finn answered as he was catching his breath.  
Leia then handed Finn the journal.  
"We found this fall out of your jacket when you fainted....It's good you've been reading up on him like I suggested." Leia said with a smile.

Luke looked at the journal in Finn's hand.  
"What's that?" he asked.  
"That is Obi-Wan Kenobi's journal....I told Finn to learn more about him." Leia said.  
Luke looked at her in shock.  
"I didn't know he had a journal." Luke said confused.  
Leia smiled.  
"There's a lot you didn't know about him." she said. 

 

"Well, you didn't know him at all." Luke said.  
"Ah, well....you're wrong about that actually." Leia began. "I had met him once years before I ever met you....The war was going on and I was a young girl at the time. I ended up getting separated from my family for a short time and came across him. He helped me reunite with my family." 

Luke could not believe what he was hearing. Leia smiled realizing Luke didn't know as much as he thought. Luke then wondered how did Finn of all people get the journal.  
"Well, why do you want him to read it?" he asked.  
"Do you know who this is?" Leia asked.  
"Yeah. He's Lando's son, which explains a lot, to be honest." Luke said angrily.

"He's also Kaida's son. Do you remember Kaida?" Leia asked.  
"Of course....Han introduced them. She was from Tatooine." Luke answered.   
Leia then looked over to Lando.  
"Did you ever meet Kaida's parents?" she asked.  
"She didn't talk much about them." Lando began. "All I ever knew about them was that her mother had passed on a year before I met her and she never did speak of her father. Did you ever meet them?" 

"As a matter of fact, I did." Leia began. "Kaida's mother was named Sidara....and her father was Ben."   
Everyone in the room was shocked and Luke looked at Finn, then back at Leia.  
"So wait a minute....you're telling me that THIS is Obi-Wan's GRANDSON?!!!!" he said in shock.   
Finn was just as in shock as he was.

 

Leia looked at her brother.  
"Yes. And that is why you must train him....you owe it to Ben." she said.   
Luke and Finn glanced at each other then looked away. They were both in shock, but still angry with each other.  
"If you two can put aside your differences and he becomes a Jedi, only then can this mess get resolved." Leia began as she told Luke. "My son and your daughter can finally come home....You two can finally bring this family together."  
 


	19. Family Bond

At the First Order base on Endel, Rey was still upset by all that had happened. She was in the first few stages of joining the Dark Side, but in her heart, she still worried. Rey's new wardrobe consisted of an all black attire. She finished adjusting her new clothes and looked in the mirror.   
"It's for the best." she said to herself.

Rey then let her hair down and it fell to her shoulders. As she looked at her reflection, she took a deep breath trying to reassure herself that everything would be ok. Moments later, Kylo Ren walked in and handed Rey her staff. The staff was now black with a metal section in the middle with a little switch.

"Your renewed staff, just as you wanted." Kylo began. "I took it upon myself to make a few minor adjustments. However, there's a chance Snoke probably wouldn't want you to fight, given your....situation."   
Rey then flipped the switch and saw a red lightsaber on both ends of her staff. She was amazed and looked at the modified staff in awe. Rey then shut off the lightsabers and looked at Kylo.

"Why do this for me?" she asked.  
"I can see you're still a little unsure about all of this and I remember being in a similar situation as well....not as bad a situation as you of course, but I did at one point have conflict with my decisions." Kylo explained.  
"Why do you care how I feel?" Rey asked.  
"Because." Kylo began. "I still remember you as my inseparable little cousin." 

Rey was surprised that he actually said that. She was even more surprised that he remembered so much from years ago.  
"You don't remember those days though....Your memory was wiped." Kylo began. "At one point in time, you were like a little sister to me....You would follow me everywhere and want to be just like me."

Rey slightly smiled realizing that deep down underneath all that evilness, he was just a normal guy and still had a soft spot.   
"Well, I appreciate that there's at least one person who supports my decision." she began. "Everything has gotten so crazy for me and it's all happening so fast. I....just hope I can finally be happy."

"Can I ask you something?" Kylo asked.  
"Sure." Rey answered.  
"I still can't wrap my brain around this." Kylo began. "Why the Stormtrooper?"  
Rey smiled for a little bit and looked at him.

"Well." Rey began. "First of all, his name is Finn. Second, I just really care about him. Even though we come from different walks of life, we actually have a lot in common....and I can connect with him in a way I've never been able to with anyone before."  
Kylo could tell that Rey was really fond of Finn and he wished he never asked. It made him a little uncomfortable realizing his little cousin was already a grown woman and in love with someone.

"Well, I've got to go contact General Hux." Kylo began awkwardly as he changed the subject and prepared to leave the room. "I need to know if he and Captain Phasma will be joining us to meet up with Snoke."  
Rey watched as he left the room. She wished she could remember her life before Jakku. Rey then looked at her new staff and hit the switch again making the lightsabers shoot back out. She then looked at her reflection in the mirror as she held her weapon. Rey noticed that she didn't even look like herself anymore. 

 

At the Resistance base, Luke was looking for Finn. He saw Poe with BB-8 by his X-Wing and approached them.   
"Have you seen Finn anywhere?" Luke asked.   
"Yeah." Poe began. "I saw him packing up a backpack about ten minutes ago. He said he had to leave. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. I just told him to be careful out there."  
"Did he leave yet?" Luke asked.  
"I don't think so. He should be still at our bunker." Poe said.

Moments later, Luke found Finn right where Poe said. He looked like he was just about to leave.   
"Where do you think you're going?" Luke asked.  
"I have to find Rey and make all of this right. And don't try to stop me. You have no idea what I'm going through right now." Finn said.  
"Actually, I think I do." Luke said.  
Finn then looked at him surprised.  
"C'mon. Let's take a walk." Luke suggested.

 

About thirty minutes later, Luke and Finn sat beside a pond that was on the outskirts of the base. They had been having a long talk and to their surprise, they made it that long without arguing.

"I think now I'm starting to see what Rey sees in you." Luke began. "You're not so bad."   
"She's the first person I ever really cared about....I can't help, but feel like I have to be with her right now. I don't think she realizes that she needs me now more than ever." Finn said.  
"What exactly did she tell you back on Endel?" Luke asked.  
"I can't tell you....I promised her I wouldn't tell." Finn began. "And to be honest, even if I could tell someone, I don't think I could tell you personally." 

"That bad?" Luke asked.  
Finn thought about it for a second.  
"It depends on how you look at it." he began. "What could be considered bad, could also be considered a blessing....but, I don't think she knows that yet."  
Luke thought about what Finn said and came to an assumption, but kept it to himself. 

Finn noticed the sun was starting to go down.  
"Well, Sir. It was good talking with you, but I gotta go find her." he said.  
Luke smiled on the inside. He still wanted to intimidate Finn even though he was beginning to warm up to him. He started to realize that Finn was a good guy and really cared for Rey. Finn was walking away, but Luke decided to stop him.

"Do you realize you'd be traveling across the galaxy and possibly going up against the toughest of the First Order?" Luke asked.  
"Yeah." Finn answered.  
"There's a chance you might die....Are you ready for that?" Luke asked him.  
"If it means it's for Rey's safety, then I don't care if I die." Finn answered.

Luke smiled knowing that was exactly the answer he wanted to hear.  
"All you have is a blaster." he said.  
"It's not much, but it'll do." Finn said as he looked at it.  
"But wouldn't you rather have a lightsaber?" Luke suggested as he took out his blue saber, turned it on and handed it to Finn.

"You actually want to train me?" Finn began. "I....I don't think I can be a Jedi. I've already broken too many rules. Trust me."  
"I'm thinking I'll just have to make an exception this time." Luke began. "Plus, I owe it to your grandfather....This lightsaber is now yours." 

"You're giving this to me?....But, I thought it was a Skywalker heirloom. I heard it got passed down to you from your father. Don't you want Rey to have this? You know, so it can stay in the family." Finn asked.  
"It did get passed down from my father, but it was actually Obi-Wan who gave it to me....Oh, and just between you and me,....I'm positive it'll still stay in the family." Luke said to him with a wink.

Finn felt very surprised when Luke told him that. He had that feeling a child gets when their parents reveal that they knew something all along. Even though Finn felt shocked, he was also grateful at the same time. Finn looked at Luke confused.  
"How?" Finn began. "How did....?"  
"Son, I'm Rey's father and not to mention, a trained Jedi master. Nothing gets by me." Luke answered as he gave Finn a pat on the back. 


	20. Kylo's Weakness

At the Resistance base, Kylo spoke with Snoke's hologram. They talked about Rey and everything that's been going on.   
"You modified her staff?" Snoke said angrily.  
"You told me to start shaping her into a Sith. I modified her staff so she could defend herself more efficiently and by doing so, she now has two lightsabers to fight with." Kylo said explained.

"I told you that she does not need to be fighting under any circumstances!" Snoke began. "It is your job to make sure that harm doesn't come her way!"   
"Sir, I just felt it was an appropriate decision." Kylo said.

"I see what this is about." Snoke began. "You've gotten soft!"   
"No, Supreme Leader! I can honestly say I haven't!" Kylo said.  
"I should've known this would happen." Snoke began. "Since when did you start caring for your family again?"

"My family means nothing to me." Kylo argued.  
"If that's so, then why didn't you kill the girl all those years ago? You can kill your father, why not your younger cousin?" Snoke asked.

Kylo grew angry, but kept his cool.  
"With all due respect, had I done that years ago, we would not have the opportunity that we have now." he began. "Like you said, we have a new chosen one."

Snoke then sat back in his chair.  
"And just what are your plans for her with this new weapon?" he asked.  
"I will start to train her!" Kylo began. "She never completed her training with Luke....Now is the perfect time to get her more powerful, especially since she isn't far along yet." 

Snoke thought about it. To him, it seemed like a good idea.  
"Alright, but I want to see progress in her. I'd be pleased to have someone of her talents under my command....Do not disappoint me, Kylo Ren. You've already done so once, don't do it again."  
Within the next second, the hologram was gone. 

 

Moments later, Kylo was walking down the hall to his designated area to sleep for the night. As he walked, he stopped by where Rey was sleeping. Rey was already sound asleep and looked very peaceful. Kylo stood there for a moment and started to remember something that happened years ago.

It was night time on the island and the students of Luke's Jedi academy were all sleeping after a long day of training. Well, all except Rey who was only eight years old at the time. She couldn't sleep because she heard her father arguing with her cousin, Ben. 

Rey had gotten out of bed and went to the doorway. She then saw Ben storming past the door.   
"You're leaving?" she asked.  
Ben then turned around and knelt in front of her.   
"Yes. Rey. I have to." he said.  
"How long will you be gone?" Rey asked in a worried tone.

Ben sighed and looked at his little cousin.  
"I'm probably not coming back." he said.  
"You can't go. I won't let you." Rey said as she started to tear up.  
"Rey. Don't cry. Everything's going to be ok." he told her as he wiped a tear from her eye.  
"Can I go with you?" Rey asked.  
"No....You need to stay here. You have so much potential and you don't even know it." Ben said.

"Is this about the same thing Uncle Han and Aunt Leia got mad at you about?" Rey asked.   
"Yes." Ben began. "And when you're older, you'll understand."  
"I still don't want you to go." Rey said as she began to tear up again.  
"Listen." Ben began. "I need you to stay here and stay strong. Can you do that for me?"   
Rey shook her head and gave her older cousin a hug.  
"I love you." she said.  
"I love you too." Ben said.

 

Kylo was still standing in the doorway and glanced over at Rey again. He held back his tears and continued walking down the hall of the base.


	21. When the Time is Right

Finn had prepared for his first day of training with Luke. He was to meet Luke on the outskirts of the Resistance base. Luke decided he wanted to try a slightly different approach when training Finn since he wasn't your typical Jedi. 

It was the crack of dawn and Finn hurried up the side of the mountain. Luke had picked out a peaceful area to train that was away from any distractions and Finn had to hurry to meet him on time or Luke would be very disappointed.

Moments later, Finn finally arrived for training and saw Luke standing a few feet away from him. He tried to catch his breath and tossed his backpack to the ground.   
"You've made it here on time. Just barely though." Luke said.  
"Excuse me Sir, but....why can't we train on the island where you trained Rey?" Finn asked.  
"The location of where we train does not matter. The force is all around us and everywhere we go." Luke explained.

As Finn stood before Luke, he was looking forward to becoming a Jedi, but for a number of reasons, he was also a little nervous about working with Luke. 

"First, we're going to focus on your form in combat." Luke began. "Get your lightsaber."  
Finn then quickly grabbed his lightsaber and turned it on. He was then a little surprised when he looked over at Luke who had turned on a green lightsaber. 

"You had another one?" Finn said.  
"Yes. I actually made this one myself....If anything, this would be the one I would pass on to my daughter." Luke said as he admired his lightsaber. 

A few hours later, the two had been dueling and Finn had messed up every single time.   
"You're still not using the right fighting technique!" Luke began. "You're too aggressive and you need to be able to tap into the force always when you're in combat."

"I can't just use the force whenever I want!" Finn said.  
"That's because you lack control." Luke said.  
"Then why don't you show me how to have control over the force first?" Finn asked.  
"That's something I can't teach you. You have to figure that out yourself." Luke explained.

Finn was surprised when Luke told him that. He knew he didn't have any control when using the force and he didn't know when or how long it would take for him to pick up on it.  
"How long do you think until I'm able to do that?" he asked.

"Who knows, it could take weeks....months possibly." Luke answered.   
"MONTHS?!" Finn exclaimed.   
He then turned off his lightsaber started to grab his bag.  
"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"I appreciate that you are willing to train me, but with all due respect Sir, I can't wait that long, not when I know I should be out there trying to find Rey." Finn said.  
Luke turned off his lightsaber and walked up to Finn.  
"You can still find her once you complete your training." Luke began. "Trust me. After you get the skills you'll gain, you will thank me in the long run and you will be better prepared once you find her."

"I'm sorry, but I can't waste any time." Finn began. "She needs me." 

 

Later that day, Luke was talking with Leia at the base.  
"The kid is stubborn!" Luke began. "I tried to train him, but apparently becoming a Jedi doesn't mean anything to him!"  
"He just wants to find Rey. You can't blame him for wanting to find the love of his life." Leia said.

"I don't see how all of this could've happened." Luke began. "The chances of those two even meeting each other in the first place, is one in a million."  
"Maybe fate brought them together. I feel like Finn and Rey met for a reason much bigger than we think." Leia said.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.  
"Think about it." Leia began. "The fact that YOUR daughter and OBI-WAN'S grandson met each other can't just be a coincidence. Something brought them together....it was the force." 

"That's the thing though." Luke began. "Sure the force probably brought them together, but in order for the both of them to be Jedi, they can't have a relationship. That has never happened in all of the history that has been documented of Jedi."

"Well Luke....there's a first time for everything." Leia began. "Finn and Rey met for a reason and though we might not see the benefit of it now, only time will tell....As for him training to be a Jedi,....he will be ready when he time is right."

 

Finn was in his bunker and laying in his bed. Poe was on the other side of the room with BB-8.  
BB-8 rolled over to Finn and beeped.  
"I'm ok." Finn said in an upset tone.

"What's up with you?" Poe began with a teasing smile. "Did Jedi training with the father-in-law not go well today?"  
Finn then looked up at Poe.  
"What? What makes you say that? What do you know?" he asked nervously.

"Well, for starters...." Poe began. "You look like you've have a bad day and also you're the one that told me Luke was training you....I just joked about the father-in-law thing because I know you have the hots for Rey....Why? Is there something I should know?"  
"No! There's nothing." Finn said.

"You're not a good liar Finn. I already know that you and Rey moved to the next step in your relationship because I could tell there was something different about you when we found you back on Felucia." Poe said.  
"Is that why you were harassing me the other day?" Finn asked.  
"Yeah." Poe began. "It's nothing to feel awkward about though. Everyone does at some point eventually....It's part of life, ya know." 

Poe smiled and gave Finn a brotherly punch on the shoulder. Finn realized how good of a friend Poe actually was to him. He then looked at him.  
"Poe." Finn began. "Have you ever done something and wished you could just take it all back?"   
"Yeah. All the time. Don't worry. That's normal." Poe reassured him.

"No. You don't understand....I've really messed up." Finn said.  
"Anyone can mess up, but it takes a man to turn that mess up into something good." Poe advised him.  
Finn thought about what he said and realized he was right. 

"Thanks." Finn said.  
"For what?" Poe asked.  
"For being a good friend." Finn answered with a smile.

Poe the walked back over to his side of he room.  
"So when are you leaving?" he asked.  
"First thing in the morning. I've got to get to Rey as soon as possible." Finn answered.  
"You love her?" Poe asked.

Finn never had to use the word love when referring to someone before. As a Stormtrooper, he wasn't allowed to show feeling towards anything, but after thinking about all he's been through with Rey and how he is willing to give his life for her, he then came to a conclusion.  
"Yeah. I guess I do...." he began as he laid in bed and started to smile. "I love her."  
After admitting it out loud, he felt his heart warm and that feeling was unlike any other. He then felt so much better and smiled as he turned out his lamp.


	22. Snoke's Backup Plan

At the first order base, Rey was told to go speak to Snoke. She entered a room and saw his hologram before her.  
"Yes. Supreme Leader." she said with hesitation.  
"Today you will begin training with Kylo Ren." he began. "You will also officially take your place among Dark Side....After today, there is no turning back."   
"I....I understand." Rey said unsurely.

"You may head back to your bunker and I will send for Kylo Ren to get you when everything is in order." Snoke said.  
Rey nodded her head and left the room. Snoke watched as she left and could help but noticed that something was off about her. Rey didn't realize it, but Snoke was testing her.

 

Rey went back to her bunker and paced back and forth trying to think of a plan. She wasn't for sure about joining the Dark Side and was very self conflicted. She looked in the mirror and saw how different she looked. Rey was dressed in all black and her hair was down. She also had personalized armor in certain areas of her wardrobe. Even though she looked different, she was still the same person she's always been on the inside. 

As Rey saw her reflection, she gently placed her right hand over her stomach. It would be quite a while before she started showing, but even though no one could see it, she could feel the force within her.   
"I can't do this." she said to herself.

 

Moments later, Rey grabbed her staff and headed down the hall. She had made it pretty far without any Stormtroopers saying anything to her and tried to keep her cool as she searched for an exit out of the base.

Suddenly one Stormtrooper managed to approach her.   
"I have orders to take you to Snoke. Come with me." he said.  
Rey ignored him and started to walk the other direction, but the Stormtrooper grabbed her arm. Rey then pushed him and knocked him down. When he fell to the ground, she quickly ran down the hall. 

"The girl is trying to make a run for it. Stop her at all costs." the Stormtrooper said as he warned everyone.  
Rey turned a corner and saw seven Stormtroopers before her. She turned around and plenty more were coming her way.

Rey turned on the lightsabers on her staff and started to fight them off. Some tried to attack her from behind and one managed to shoot her in the shoulder. Rey screamed from the pain, but tried to shake it off as she continued to fight. She used the force and violently slammed some of them into the walls. As she fought, her lightsabers managed to cut through her enemies with ease. Rey was fighting for her life and there was no way she was going to back down. 

More Stormtroopers started to appear and Rey continued to fight them off. She was doing very well until suddenly, she felt another pain within herself from the force. Rey fell to her knees and held back her tears.  
"No. Not now." she said in pain.  
Eventually she wasn't able to move, so the Stormtroopers cuffed her wrists and made her stand up. 

 

Moments later, they brought her to Snoke's hologram. She noticed Kylo Ren was in the room along with General Hux and Captain Phasma. She then looked at Snoke, but wasn't the least bit threatened.   
"How dare you try to escape and runaway with my most valuable possession?" Snoke said in anger.

"This child is in no way property of yours and neither am I!" Rey yelled in anger.  
"You're wrong." Snoke began. "I have waited years for Vader's legacy to continue with this much power! That child will be so powerful, nothing in the galaxy will be able to stop it! As Supreme Leader, any power of that level, automatically belongs to me....Although it is no secret you're quite powerful yourself,....your only significance to me is to carry Vader's heir. After that, you are of no importance to me."

Rey started to tear up, but remained strong.  
"I refuse to cooperate with any plans you may have...I don't care who you are! I will determine where my loyalties lie. Not you!" she said angrily. 

"You think it would be that easy?" Snoke began. "You haven't even seen what I'm capable of. I'm going to make sure you never try to defy me ever again!....Take her to be reconditioned."

Kylo then looked at Snoke surprised.  
"But Sir! That is only used for Stormtroopers!" he said.  
"He is correct! It has only ever been used on my Stormtroopers! Who knows what kind of mental damage it could do to anyone else?" General Hux explained.  
"She needs to be taught a lesson." Snoke said angrily.

The Stormtroopers started to take Rey away and she made eye contact with Kylo Ren. He was worried for her and watched as she left the room. Rey tried to fight them, but she was still cuffed. She was soon out of Kylo's sight and he could hear her cries and screams echoing from down the hall. 


	23. Turning Point

It was morning at the Resistance base and Finn was about to leave for good. Everyone he was close to went to tell him goodbye. Finn was standing near the ship he was going to use. General Leia had been nice enough to let him have it and it was the perfect ship for him too. It was easy to pilot. 

Poe and BB-8 approached Finn.  
"Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" Poe asked.  
"I don't plan on coming back here." Finn explained. "After I find Rey, we're probably going to go somewhere way away from all of this....She always wanted a normal life, and I'll be happy as long as I'm with her."  
Poe smiled and gave his friend a hug. BB-8 then started beeping at Finn and rolled closer to him.

"I'm going to miss you too." Finn began. "You make sure Poe stays out of trouble."  
He winked at BB-8 and gave him a thumbs up. BB-8 then beeped in agreement and quickly took out a lighter to give him a thumbs up back.   
Finn looked over and saw Lando coming towards him.

"I understand you're a grown man now and you're able to make your own decisions, but I just hate to see you leave....not when I just got you back." Lando said.  
"I know it's hard, but I have to go." Finn began. "Rey means a lot to me and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her."   
Lando smiled and gave his son a hug.   
"She sounds like a special girl." he began with a smile. "Maybe one day, you can bring her by Cloud City and let me meet her....Finn....Your mother would be so proud of the man you've become." 

Lando gave him a pat on the back and smiled. He was so happy to see that his son had grown up and he supported every decision Finn would make just as long as he knew he was safe. It's all he ever wanted for him. Leia then walked up to Finn and gave him a hug. 

"You be careful now." she said.  
"I will." Finn began. "And thank you. For everything."   
"I've always thought highly of you, Finn. I never lost faith in you." Leia said.   
Finn then saw Luke coming his way. 

"I know you're upset about me leaving, but I'm sorry, training didn't work out....Here. Your lightsaber." Finn said as he tried to hand it back to him.  
"No. Keep it." Luke began. "I'm not entirely sure what my daughter sees in you, but it must be something special. So with that in mind, I gotta say....keep up the good work, kid."   
Finn smiled at him realizing those were some of the nicest words Luke has ever said to him.

 

Moments later, Finn was inside the ship and sitting at the pilot's seat. He entered the coordinates of the First Order base on Endel and was ready to go. Everyone watched as the ship came off the ground and flew away. 

 

At the First Order base, Kylo Ren took off his mask and sat in quite, dimly lit room. He had been feeling very conflicted lately and didn't know what to do. It wasn't long before he started to hear the voice in his head again. This time, instead of trying to fight it, he decided to relax and listen to it.

"Ben. Tell me. What troubles you?" the voice asked.   
"I don't know who I am anymore." Kylo answered.  
"I've told you before, this is not where you belong." the voice began. "You belong on the Light Side."   
"But, my grandfather....He would want me here. I know he would." Kylo said.  
"No. He wouldn't." the voice argued.  
"Who are you to tell me what my grandfather would've wanted?" Kylo asked angrily.

"Ben." the voice began. "I need you to tap into the force for a moment. Then your question will be answered."   
Kylo closed his eyes for a moment and started to focus until he felt the force. He then opened his eyes and was surprised to see Anakin's force ghost in front of him. Kylo was so shocked, he was speechless.

 

"I'm your grandfather." he began. "And I'm sure that I of all people would know what I want and what I don't want is for you to continue down this path you've chosen."  
Kylo held back his tears. He had been waiting so long to have the chance to speak with his grandfather. 

"I'm already too deep in all of this." Kylo began. "How can I have the courage to defy Snoke?"   
"I was like you once, but unfortunately I didn't see the error of my ways until I was much older. I don't want that for you. You still have a choice." Anakin began. "And as for Snoke, he may be powerful and wise, but he's not what you think....Trust me, but you can still find strength to go against him....I have faith in you. It may take time for you to finally do so, but I will be with you every step of the way." 

A tear fell down Kylo's face.  
"Thank you." he said.  
Within the next moment, Anakin's force ghost vanished before him. Kylo took a moment to think about what had just happened. He then realized what he must do.


	24. The Traitor's Punishment

Finn finally arrived on Endel and landed the ship in a forest on the outskirts of the First Order base. He grabbed his lightsaber and began making his way to the base. As he headed there, he was thinking of a way to get in. 

It wasn't long until he arrived and noticed a group of Stormtroopers outside, guarding the place. Before he could think of a plan, one of them noticed him and started shooting at him. Finn dodged the shots and ran towards the Stormtroopers. 

"It's the traitor!" one Stormtrooper said as he shot at him.  
Finn turned on his lightsaber and started to fight some off. When more came up to him, he used the force to fight them. 

Some of the Stormtroopers were surprised to see how powerful Finn was. As Finn fought, he ended up getting shot in the side, but still kept fighting. Nothing was going to stop him from finding Rey. When he had defeated all that was in that area, he hurried inside the base. 

 

The halls were quiet and Finn was prepared for any threats that would come his way. He turned a corner and saw more Stormtroopers. They began shooting at him, but Finn used the force to slam them into the walls. He could then sense someone behind him. When he turned around, he saw it was Captain Phasma, General Hux and another group of Stormtroopers. 

The Stormtroopers charged at him, but he quickly fought them off with his lightsaber and before Captain Phasma could shoot at him, Finn used the force to strangle General Hux and brought him closer to him. 

"You're going to tell me where Rey is or I'm going to kill him." Finn said.  
Captain Phasma was not the least bit intimidated, but she was impressed. General Hux was still being strangled by the force and was very surprised of Finn's abilities. 

"I told you, Hux." she began. "I always knew there was something different about FN-2187....I knew he had hidden potential and would've been a great addition in combat, but you didn't listen to me and assigned him to sanitation."

"I'm not playing games, Phasma!" Finn began angrily. "You tell me where she is now, or you'll end up just like him."   
Finn was still strangling General Hux as Phasma looked at him. She shook her head in a disappointed manner.

"You could've been a very prominent weapon for the First Order." she began. "But then you wasted that opportunity once you committed treason and were responsible for the destruction of the Starkiller....Such a shame." 

Suddenly, some Stormtroopers attacked Finn from behind and he fell to the ground. He lost his force grip and General Hux started to catch his breath. Finn then stunned in his side and couldn't move. He looked up at Captain Phasma as she approached him.

"I would send you to be reconditioned, but it would be no use sense it would only be a matter of time before you go back to your traitor ways." she began. "I have something else in mind....I'm going to show everyone what happens when you betray the First Order." 

 

Later on, Finn was cuffed and brought into a huge room. There were thousands of Stormtroopers surrounding an empty fighting ground. Two Stormtroopers were on each side of Finn as they walked with him and led him to the fighting ground. Captain Phasma and General Hux walked behind them.

"Why would he come back after we forced the Resistance to leave?" Hux asked.  
"Because." Phasma began. "He's the father of the chosen one."   
General Hux was surprised.   
"A Stormtrooper?" he said in disbelief.  
"A force sensitive Stormtrooper who happens to be a descendant of the man who disfigured the Great Darth Vader....He was destined to be a traitor. It's in his blood." Phasma said.

The Stormtroopers brought Finn to the fighting ground and un-cuffed him. Finn was shocked at how many Stormtroopers surrounded him. They all yelled at him and called him a traitor. It was hard for him to believe that he was actually just like them at one point. 

Captain Phasma got everyone's attention and looked directly at Finn.   
"FN-2187! YOU HAVE COMMITTED TREASON TO THE FIRST ORDER!" she began. "DUE TO YOUR LACK OF LOYALTY, YOU WILL BE SENTENCED TO DEATH!!!!.....Bring out the weapon!" 

All of the Stormtroopers anticipated what was to come. Finn was more terrified than he'd ever been in his life. Kylo Ren soon entered the room and was surprised to see what was going on. Finn's heart was beating fast and he took out his lightsaber to prepare for battle. He knew he'd have to fight to stay alive and tried to appear calm, but nothing was able to prepare him for what was to come next. Kylo Ren continued to watch, but didn't know if he could do anything. 

Within the next second, someone came through the crowd and stood before Finn, ready to fight. Finn could not believe his eyes and realized the one who was to execute him....happened to be Rey.


	25. Love vs. the Dark Side

Finn felt his heart sink as Rey slowly approached him. She pulled out her staff and turned on the lightsabers. Finn was in disbelief at what he was seeing. Rey didn't look like herself, her staff had been modified and not to mention, she looked at him as if she didn't know who he was.

"Rey." he began in disbelief as she approached him. "Rey. It's me, Finn!"  
She then attacked him with her weapon, but he blocked it with his lightsaber. Finn then started to back away slowly.

"Do you remember me?" he asked.  
"You're the traitor to the First Order!" Rey began. "You're the one responsible for the destruction of the Starkiller!"  
She then attacked again, but Finn blocked her.

"Yes, that is true." Finn began. "But I did all of that for you."  
Rey attacked him and Finn blocked her again. She then repeatedly tried to fight him, but Finn couldn't find it in his heart to harm her. 

Rey constantly attacked him and Finn not once tried to fight back. She had even knocked him down, but he quickly got back up and kept backing away from her. Rey had also used the force to throw him around and strangle him. 

Finn knew that the First Order had obviously done something to her to make her act this way. All of the Stormtroopers continued to watch and were entertained. Kylo Ren became worried after seeing what the First Order had done to his little cousin. 

 

Rey then hit him with her staff and knocked him down. Finn looked at his wound on his right arm, then back at Rey. She then was able to use lighting through the force and shocked him. He had been injured pretty bad already.

"Why won't you fight back?!" she yelled in frustration as she prepared to finally stab him with one of her lightsabers.   
Finn then turned off his lightsaber and tossed it on the ground.   
"Because I love you." he answered as he looked into her eyes.

 

Rey still kept her stance and didn't move an inch. Finn then stood up and began to walk towards her slowly.   
"And I know, that somewhere deep down inside,....you love me too." Finn began. "Rey. You were my reason to fight for something and I was the only person to ever come back for you....I was your shoulder to cry on and you were the only one to keep me sane." 

Everyone got quiet and kept watching to see what would happen. Kylo watched from a distance and tried to remain calm as Finn continued to slowly walk towards Rey.

"When we were stranded in the jungle back on Felucia, It was like we were the only two people in existence." Finn began. "Everything between us was going great until we got into an argument because I wanted to help the Resistance and you wanted to leave away from all of this and start a new life with me. You wanted to finally have a normal life and a family....I wasn't at all ready for any of that....until now. Rey....we can leave all of this, just like you wanted....and raise our child....This war, this intergalactic chaos is not a place I want our child to grow up in."

Finn was finally just inches away from Rey and it was the moment of truth. He had no fear as they both continued to look into each others eyes. No matter how things would turn out, Finn wasn't afraid to die anymore.   
"Rey." he began sincerely. "Don't let the Dark Side take over. I know there's good in you....Where's the brave, determined and stubborn girl who knocked me on my ass back in Jakku, that I fell in love with?"

The room was still quiet and everyone didn't know what was going to happen next. Finn and Rey continued to look at each other. All of a sudden, Rey shut off the lightsabers on her staff and stepped closer to Finn. He could tell that she was about to tear up. She then leaned forward and gave him a kiss. Finn then smiled and hugged her close as he began to tear up as well.  
"She's right here." Rey answered softly as she hugged him. 

 

Kylo was shocked at what he just witnessed. He had never seen someone go from the Dark  Side, to the Light Side and figured that there was still hope for him. All of the Stormtroopers were very upset and Captain Phasma couldn't believe her eyes. She then grew very angry and got the attention of the Stormtroopers  
"WELL FN-2187, IF SHE WON'T PUT AN END TO YOU, WE WILL!" she yelled in anger.

All of the Stormtroopers were then prepared to fight. Finn and Rey grabbed their weapons and looked at each other.  
"There's thousands of them." Finn began. "How are we gonna get through this?"  
Rey then grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes.  
"No matter what happens, we'll be together." she said. 


	26. Don't Mess With Family

The Stormtroopers started to attack Finn and Rey, but they both were ready to fight them. The two of them charged towards their enemies and began to fight. As they fought them off, Rey used her two lightsabers on her staff with ease and Finn aggressively attacked them with his lightsaber. They were both definitely able to hold their own in battle, but even they knew it was a challenge unlike anything they've face before.

As they fought, Rey ended up getting shot in the leg by a blaster.  
"Rey!" Finn yelled as he ran over to her.  
More Stormtroopers started coming towards them, but Finn used the force to fight them off. Rey then stood up and grabbed her staff.

"Are you ok?" Finn asked.  
"Yeah." Rey began. "I'm fine....Finn watch out!"   
A Stormtrooper was about to attack him from behind, but Rey used her staff to defeat him. Finn looked over at her with a grin. Rey never ceased to amaze him. 

 

They continued to fight the Stormtroopers, but it seemed like there were just too many for them to face. Finn and Rey looked at each other for a moment realizing that it might be the end for them. Rey then grabbed Finns hand.   
"I love you." she said to him sincerely. 

Captain Phasma watched from a distance and started to make her way towards them. She was pleased to see that the traitor to the First Order was finally about to meet his end once and for all. 

Suddenly an explosion was seen on the far end of the base. This got everyone's attention and they all wondered where it came from.   
"What was that?" Rey asked.  
Finn looked up and smiled realizing where it came from.  
"It's the Resistance." he said with a smile.

 

Seconds later, the smoke had cleared and revealed Poe, Chewbacca, Lando, Leia and Luke along with many other Resistance members. Finn and Rey could not believe what they were seeing. Within the next few moments, the Resistance members were fighting the Stormtroopers. 

As they all fought, it wasn't long until Finn and Rey came across Poe.   
"What made you guys find us?" Finn asked with a smile.  
"Not too long after you left, Luke and Leia talked for a bit and just came up with the idea." Poe answered.  
Rey then noticed a way out of the fighting ground. She was set on finding Luke to make things right.  
"Quick, Finn. Come with me!" she said as she hurried that way.

Finn was about to follow her, but Poe stopped him for a moment.  
"That's Rey?" he began in disbelief because he didn't recognize her. "Whoa! Did the First Order make her hotter or something?"   
Finn then punched him in the shoulder.  
"I'm just saying." Poe began as he teased his friend. "You are so lucky."  
"Poe. You just don't know when to quit do you?" Finn said as he hurried over to Rey.  
Poe smiled and continued to shoot Stormtroopers with his blaster.

 

Finn and Rey hurried down the hall, but when they turned a corner, they ran into General Hux, who was with a group of Stormtroopers.   
"FN-2187. You're not getting away this time." he began then looked at Rey. "And you! Wait until Snoke finds out about this!" 

Before Finn and Rey could attack, someone had already attacked General Hux and his group of Stormtroopers from behind. They both noticed General Hux fall to his knees as he appeared to be getting force choked. When they looked up, they were surprised to see General Leia and Chewbacca. Leia was actually using the force to choke Hux as she stepped closer to him.

"No one....harms my family!" she said.   
She then let go of her grip and Hux collapsed to the ground. Finn and Rey looked at Leia and were speechless. She went to them and gave them both a hug. 

"Since when do you use the force?" Finn asked surprised.  
"I've had it for years now. I just don't use it unless I have to. " Leia said with a smile.   
"You came back for us." Rey said.  
"You can thank Finn for that." Leia began. "He made us all realize that family is something worth fighting for....no matter how dis-functional we may be."  
Chewie shook his head in agreement that the Skywalker family definitely had its issues.

Finn and Rey smiled at Leia and Chewie.   
"You two might want to go see Luke." Leia began. "He's not too far down that hall....He has something important he wants to tell you both." 


	27. Unexpected Fate

As the battle went on, Finn and Rey continued down the hall, but couldn't find Luke. They soon came across more Stormtroopers, but fought them off. It wasn't long before the two of them noticed the hallway split in two directions.   
"Where is he?" Finn asked.  
Rey then closed her eyes for a moment and was able to use the force to sense Luke near.

"He's this way." she said as she began to take the right hallway.  
Suddenly Finn was able to sense danger near and looked at the left hallway. Captain Phasma was on the left hall making her way towards them as she started to shoot her blaster.

"FN-2187! You're not getting away this time!" she said as she started to approach him.  
Finn then looked at Rey for a moment.  
"Go find Luke! I've got to handle this myself." he said.  
"But Finn." Rey began. "We can't be separated again."   
"Just trust me. I'll find you." Finn reassured her.  
He then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  
"Hurry! Go!" he said.

Rey then rushed down the other hallway. Finn turned around and was prepared to fight Phasma. Within the next second, she attacked him and they began to fight. 

 

In another part of the base, Leia was walking with Chewie as he fought off Stormtroopers. Chewie looked at Leia for a moment and roared.   
"I haven't been in battle in years." she began. "When did Stormtroopers get better with aim?"   
Suddenly Chewie got hit and collapsed in pain. Leia quickly knelt down beside him.

"You're gonna be ok. Everything's going to be alright." she said.  
More shots were coming at them, but missed. Leia grabbed Chewie's weapon and was ready to take a shot at the next person who attacked them. 

Within the next moment, Kylo Ren appeared in front of them. Leia held her fire and was shocked to see him. She didn't know if she'd have the heart to shoot if she had to. Kylo then removed his mask and looked at her.  
"Mom." he said in shock softly.

Leia then lowered the weapon. She started to get tears in her eyes.  
"Ben." she said as she looked at him.  
Her son then gave her a hug.  
"I'm so sorry." he began as he started to tear up. "I can never forgive myself." 

"It's not your fault." Leia began. "I blame Snoke. He's taking advantage of you."   
Her son then stopped hugging her and looked at her.  
"You don't understand what he's capable of. You have to get as far away from here as possible. Please!" he told her.

Leia looked into her son's eyes. She had saw a change in him and realized he was starting to come back to the Light Side.   
"Ok Ben." she began calmly. "But you've got to help me with Chewie. He's been injured."  
He then nodded and began to help them.

 

Finn was still holding his own against Captain Phasma, but soon he got knocked down. As Finn lay on the ground, Phasma was preparing to end him, but within the next second, she got attacked from behind by Rey. 

The two of them started fighting and as Rey used her lightsaber staff, Phasma managed to dodge it. Suddenly, she ended up hurting Rey near her stomach and knocked her down. When she fell, Phasma grabbed Rey's staff. Finn quickly appeared behind her ready to attack, but Phasma was too quick and swung the staff at him first, causing him to lose his right hand. 

Finn screamed from the pain and dropped his lightsaber. He fell to his knees and held onto his arm. Rey had seen this happen before her eyes and could not believe it. She wanted to fight back, but she was still injured herself. Suddenly Phasma felt her body freeze and started to get choked by the force. 

Finn and Rey looked up and saw Luke Skywalker using the force on Phasma. He then clenched his fist and she collapsed to the ground. Rey began to stand up slowly, still in pain and Luke helped Finn up. Rey then ran over to Finn and gave him a hug as tears ran down her face.   
"Finn." she said softly.  
"Don't worry about me...." he began softly. "Is the baby ok?"  
"It should be. I don't think the injury was that serious." Rey answered. 

She then looked at Luke and was about to tell him something.  
"It's ok." he began. "I already know."   
Rey then looked at Finn.  
"You told him?" she asked.  
"I didn't have to. He could already sense it." Finn answered as he continued to hold his arm in pain.

"Finn. You're going to need medical attention as soon as possible." Luke began. "Here. Let's get you two back to the ship. We can finish our discussion later."


	28. Let the Force Guide You

As Luke, Rey and Finn hurried down the hall, outside there were X-Wings fighting Tie Fighters in the sky. Poe was rushing over to his X-Wing when a fellow pilot contacted him from the sky.   
"We need you up here now! There's too many of them!" the pilot said.  
"I'm on my way." Poe began. "Just hang in there and remember, try to avoid any damage to the base, we still have people inside!"   
Poe then sat in his X-Wing and flew into the sky.

 

Inside the base, a First Order Admiral found an unconscious General Hux. He knelt beside him to see if he was ok and to much surprise, he woke and sat up.  
"Where's Kylo Ren? We need to stop them before they get away!" Hux said as he stood up.

"No one has seen him, Sir." the Admiral responded.  
Hux was then surprised, but grew angry. He needed all the help he could get.  
"Tell Captain Phasma to send more Stormtroopers in my command!" he ordered.  
"Sir." the Admiral began. "She's dead."   
General Hux was shocked to hear that news. He couldn't believe it. Now everything was gone into chaos with no order whatsoever. He knew Snoke wouldn't be pleased to hear about all of this.

 

Luke was still leading Finn and Rey through the base.   
"This way!" he said.  
The three of them then came on to a long bridge. Finn and Rey could still see the battle between the Resistance and the Stormtroopers below them. There were so many people down there that were still fighting. The three of them tried to avoid any shots that would be fired at them as they tried to cross.

 

In the sky, Poe was taking out Tie Fighters left and right. He had already shot down more than ten since he first got in the sky. The other Resistance pilots were more than happy that he joined them, but suddenly one of them got hit.   
"How are you holding up?" Poe asked.  
"Not so good." the pilot began. "I'm trying to adjust my controls, but...."  
The pilot then got shot again by a Tie fighter.

Poe quickly flew over and shot down the Tie Fighter. He then saw the Resistance pilot's X-Wing spinning out of control.  
"C'mon! You can do this!" Poe began. "Hit the emergency eject!"   
"It's not working!" the pilot yelled as the X-Wing started to fall out of the sky.  
Poe then noticed the X-Wing was headed for the dam that was built just outside of the First Order base. 

"No." he said under his breath.   
Within the next second, the X-Wing crashed into the dam and exploded. The dam then started to crack. Poe then decided to contact Leia.

"General." he said.  
Leia was still inside the base with her son and Chewbacca.   
"Dameron, what's wrong?" she asked.  
"We just lost Beck. He was hit by a Tie Fighter and crashed into the dam." he began. "You're going to have to get everyone out of there right now or we're going to lose a lot more people. The cracks are getting worse and it's only a matter of time before all of that water comes through." 

Leia could not believe what she was hearing.   
"Thank you for informing me, Poe." she said still in shock.  
She then tried to think of a plan.

 

Poe and the other Resistance pilots had landed their X-Wings and looked at the dam. Poe got a closer look and realized it was about to break. He then felt his heart sink as he worried for his friends inside the base. 

Everyone inside the base then felt everything shake and stopped fighting for a moment.  
"What was that?" Finn asked.  
Luke was then able to sense what it was. He looked at the both of them with worry in his eyes.   
"It was the dam....It broke." he said.

Finn and Rey looked over the bridge and could see everyone below them running for their lives, but there were so many people down there. There was no way they'd all make it out in time. 

Rey then started to feel the force within her and looked at her stomach for a second. This time the force wasn't causing her pain, but in fact improving her own sense of the force. She then glanced at all of the panicking people below her and then looked at Finn. As she looked at him, a tear rolled down her face.

"C'mon. We've got to get out of here!" Luke said.  
"Wait." Rey began in an unsure tone. "....I've got a plan."


	29. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! Don't jump on me after reading this chapter! I promise everything is going to work out. We still have one more chapter and I'm going to be writing a story for Episode 9 very soon. 
> 
> So, I beg you to please to not freak out. All will be well. I promise.

As they stood on the bridge, Rey looked up and could strongly sense the massive amount of water coming for the base. She then looked at Finn and quickly gave him a hug and kiss.   
"You have to get out of here!" she said as she held back her tears. 

Finn was confused and wondered why she looked upset.  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
"I'm going to try to hold the water back and buy everyone enough time to leave!" she said.

Suddenly, Rey took a deep breath and the water hit the building. She managed to use the force to hold the water in place. As Rey had her grip, she could feel that the water and giant broken pieces of the dam were just on the other side of the thin wall. Rey had never felt that much power with the force. Perhaps it was the fact that her child's force presence made her stronger. She was in shock that she was able to hold all of that pressure. 

Everyone below them were surprised at what had happened. They looked up and saw Rey still holding her grip.   
"Everyone! Get out of the base as fast as you can! NOW!" she yelled.   
They then continued to get out.

Luke and Finn could not believe their eyes. Finn realized that it wasn't just Rey's force ability that helped her hold everything back. Luke was still very surprised because he had never seen a power within the force that was that strong.

 

Within the next second, there were Stormtroopers coming onto the bridge.   
"Rey." Finn began. "We've got to go."   
"I can't! If I move and let go of this, everyone is going to die." Rey explained as a little bit of sweat beaded up on her brow.   
Luke was ready to attack the Stormtroopers, but someone had beat him to it.

The three of them were surprised to see that Kylo Ren was the one to do this. He looked at them for a moment and they all back at him. Luke could see that Kylo had undergone some sort of change. Suddenly, Kylo turned around and helped his mother move Chewie. Luke then ran over to them so he could help.

"He was shot in the leg." Leia began. "We have to get to the ship."   
Luke then looked at his nephew and put his hand on his shoulder.  
"Thank you." he said warmly.  
Kylo looked at him and didn't know how to react due to his past with his uncle, but he was happy to see that he was getting back on a good path.

Finn still stood beside Rey and worried for her. She looked as if she were about to give in and let go of her grip.  
"You have to go with them." she began softly. "Please."  
"I'm not leaving you!" Finn said.

It wasn't long before they all were looking at Rey as they worried for her.   
"Rey." Kylo began. "Let me take over and then you all can get to safety."   
"You don't understand." Rey began. "There is so much pressure behind that wall. You wouldn't be able to hold it alone....I don't think my normal abilities could hold it alone either." 

Kylo then realized that she was using the force from her child too in order to hold the grip for that long. It then made sense to him as to why Snoke wanted the child in the first place. If it possessed that strong of a force presence when barely developed, imagine when it would be born. 

 

Rey then started to weaken with her grip and her arms were about to give out soon.   
"You all have to go now!" she said.  
No one wanted to leave her. Luke then realized that he'd have to make one of the toughest decisions of his life. He then walked up to Rey for a moment.

"Rey." he began as he held back a tear. "I know I haven't made the best decisions when being a father and that we've had a rough past few days, but I want you to know that I love you and that I'm so proud of the woman you grew up to be."   
Rey then started to cry after hearing him say that.  
"I love you too." she said as she wept.

Luke then began to cry and went back to help Leia with Chewie off the bridge. Kylo couldn't believe what all was happening. Even though, he still cared for his little cousin, he felt conflicted about showing his emotion. On the inside, the feeling all of this gave him was tearing him apart. 

 

As everyone started to walk off the bridge, Finn stood at her side. Rey looked at him as tears ran down her face.  
"Finn." she began. "You have to leave....I don't think I can hold this any longer."   
"Rey. Without you, I have nothing to live for....I'm not afraid of dying as long as I'm here with you." Finn said. 

"Finn. Listen to me." Rey began. "Trust me....If there's anything you know about me, is that you know I'm a fighter when it comes to survival....We'll see each other again....Just trust me. I know what I'm doing."   
Finn was tearing up as well. Rey then felt as strong shift with the force and knew that she'd have to let go at any moment.

"I love you." Finn told her.  
"And I love you." she said.

Suddenly, Finn felt a force grip on him and started quickly being moved away from Rey, off the bridge. He tried to fight the grip, but couldn't. Rey wept as he was pulled away from her.   
When Finn was at the end of the bridge, a door closed in front of him and he could no longer see Rey. The grip then let go of him and he began to try to break the door open, but was unsuccessful. 

Rey was still on the inside of the main area on the bridge. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She then remembered what Luke had told her during Jedi training.   
"....You have to be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good...." she remembered him say.   
It was clear to her that now she understood what he meant. She then looked down at her stomach for a moment.  
"This....is not the end. We'll get through this. I'm sure of it." she said softly.  
Within the next second, she let go of her grip a giant wave of water came rushing in along with massive broken pieces of the dam.

 

Finn was still on the other side of the door and could hear all of the destruction from the other side.  
"REY!" he yelled as tears ran down his face.   
He then hit the door really hard, turned around and saw Kylo Ren standing near him. He realized he was the one who used the force to pull him away from Rey.

Finn then ran towards him in anger and used the force to hit him against the wall.   
"WHY DID YOU MOVE ME OUT OF THERE!!!!" he yelled. "SINCE WHEN DID YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT US?!!"   
Kylo then got up and pushed him back.  
"YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CARED ABOUT HER!!" he yelled back as he held back his tears. "I saved you because I saw how much she loved you."

Finn was surprised to see him cry. He never realized that the guy he once feared, who was responsible for millions of deaths across the galaxy,....was a human too.   
"She's gone." Kylo muttered. "The only family I was ever close to,...is gone." 

Hearing those words were so unreal to Finn. He couldn't believe it. Kylo then looked at Finn.   
"Listen. You have every reason to hate me and not to trust me, but you might want to hurry outside." Kylo began. "The Resistance is about to leave." 

"Come with us." Finn said.  
"I can't. If I go with you all, Snoke will come find me and destroy everyone." Kylo began. "I know he's going to be looking for me, so I might as well face him like a man....You go on and go. Rey would want you to be safe." 

Finn looked at him for a moment.  
"Thank you." he said sincerely.   
"No. Thank you for always being there for Rey." Kylo began. "I couldn't think of a better man for her."   
Hearing that from him, meant a lot to Finn. Soon, he hurried outside and joined the Resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! Don't jump on me after reading this chapter! I promise everything is going to work out. We still have one more chapter of this story and I'm going to be writing a follow up story of this for Episode 9 very soon.
> 
> So, I beg you to please to not freak out. All will be well. I promise.


	30. Let's Get Started

Two days later, Finn sat in a medical room at the Resistance base. The Resistance members were providing him with a new hand and were almost done.  
"See if you can move your fingers." a nurse said.  
Finn looked at his new hand and began to move his fingers successfully.

"Great." the nurse began. "Now try to close your fist."   
Finn then did so with ease.  
"Perfect. Now I need to know if you feel any pain or unusual pressure when you move your hand in any way." the nurse asked.  
"Not at all....It's fine." Finn answered.

The nurse then wrote down the results and walked away. Finn sat there and looked at his new hand. It still felt a little strange to him, but he realized he'd have to get used to it. Seconds later, Poe entered the room with BB-8 and took a seat beside Finn.

"I see you got a new hand." he began. "That's pretty cool."   
"Yeah." Finn muttered.  
He was still very heartbroken about what happened to Rey and had been try to cope with it the past few days.  
"Finn." Poe began. "It's ok to admit that you miss her. One of the things that makes us human, is that in times of loss, we mourn. It's a natural thing to do." 

"I just miss her so much." Finn began. "And...I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her....I didn't just lose Rey though."   
"I know....She was pregnant." Poe said.  
Finn then looked at him.  
"The General told me." Poe began as he explained. "I don't know why I didn't figure it out myself. The clues were all there."   
Finn then managed to slightly smile and Poe smiled back realizing he was starting to cheer his friend up. 

 

"I heard you were leaving with Lando today." Poe said.  
"Yeah." Finn began. "We're supposed to go to Cloud City. He said he could teach me about his position and I'd have a place to stay. I figured I might as well just get a fresh start there."   
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Poe asked.  
Finn then looked at him.  
"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You don't seem like the type that would want to stay in one place for a long time and want to help run a City." Poe said with a smile.  
"I might as well be." Finn began. "Plus, it would be good if I followed in his footsteps....Besides, I want to feel connected to my family."   
Poe looked at Finn and could tell that he felt unsure about going to Cloud City.

"Well." Poe began as he stood up. "You do what you wanna do, but if this is about wanting to feel connected to your family, remember that as cool as Lando is,....he's not your only family....do what makes you happy."   
Poe then left the room with BB-8. Finn looked at his new hand and thought about what his friend said.

 

In space, a First Order ship was traveling through. General Hux was aboard and speaking with Snoke's hologram.   
"Kylo Ren has surrendered himself to us. He says that he is aware of his actions and is willing to face any consequences." Hux said.  
"He will suffer for the trouble he's caused!" Snoke began angrily. "I should've known that he'd do this!....Were you able to find the girl?" 

"The girl is dead Sir." Hux began. "She was taken with all of the destruction from the dam. She didn't stand a chance."   
Snoke then looked at him.  
"Send a fleet of troopers to Endel." he said.

Hux then looked confused.  
"But Sir, the base on Endel is completely destroyed. It is flooded out and there are massive amounts of the broken dam that have crushed the building. Why do you want to send Stormtroopers there?" he asked.

"Because I can sense that this isn't over....It is only the beginning." Snoke said.

 

At the Resistance base, Luke was outside the Millenium Falcon with Chewie and R2. He had said goodbye to everyone earlier that day and he noticed the sun going down.  
"Alright guys. You ready to go?" he began. "Chewie. Make sure you packed everything you want to bring because I'm not coming back for a while."

Chewie then roared.  
"What are you talking about? I didn't forget anything." Luke said.  
"Yeah you did." a voice from behind him said.  
Luke turned around and saw that it was Finn. He was standing there with a bag as he stood before him. Luke then grew a smirk.  
"I see you got a new hand....Welcome to the club." he joked.  
Finn then smirked back.

"Where do you think you're going? I thought you left an hour ago with your father?" Luke asked.  
"Yeah. I was supposed to go, but then after thinking about it, I realized that I could help out the galaxy in a much bigger way than running a city." Finn explained.

Luke then folded his arms.  
"And just how do you expect to do that?" he asked.  
Finn then looked confused.  
"Well, I was hoping you could train me to be a Jedi." he said.

Luke then looked at Chewie and then back at Finn.  
"I already tried that, remember?" he began. "And then you decided to give up and run away. What makes you think I still want to train you?"   
Finn thought about it and realized that Luke was actually testing him at the moment, so his answer had better be a good one.

 

"Well." he began. "Snoke is still out there in the galaxy and someone has to put an end to him....I feel like if I complete Jedi training with you, I'd be doing it for Rey....I know you wanted to pass down your teachings to your daughter, but I feel that she'd want me to take over for her....Besides, who better to lend your knowledge to than the grandson of your mentor?" 

Luke then smiled at Finn realizing he definitely was ready to begin Jedi training. He stepped closer to Finn and gave him a hug.  
"I appreciate that you were always there for Rey." he began. "You're strong, brave and noble....Obi-Wan would be so proud that you're his legacy." 

Finn smiled realizing he finally had Luke's approval. He also thought about the fact that even though he had gotten an offer from his father, it turns out that it was his grandfather's footsteps that he was destined to follow. Luke gave him a pat on the back and they soon entered the Falcon. 

 

Somewhere deep in the galaxy, a mysterious, dark hooded figure entered a pub filled with creatures from all walks of life. The hooded figure then approached a young woman with caramel looking skin who sat beside herself and was also dressed in black. 

"Are you Ava?" the mysterious figure asked.   
"Yes....Who are you?" she asked.  
"I was told that you work for Snoke." the person began.   
"We don't always see eye to eye, but yeah....I work for him occasionally. Why?" Ava asked.  
"I need to go find his castle." the person said.  
"And how do you know if I know where his castle is?" Ava asked.  
"Because I know you're one of the Knights of Ren." the person answered. "The only female Knight, if I'm correct." 

Ava was surprised that the mysterious stranger knew that and grew curious.   
"Listen. I don't know what you're planning!" she began. "I don't even know you! Why would I help you?"   
"Because your master of the Knights, Kylo Ren, is in trouble....and I plan on assassinating Snoke."   
Ava then leaned forward.  
"Tell me more." she said.

 

Finn stood on the island where Luke had trained Rey. He was amazed at how beautiful the place was. As Finn stood there, he looked at the view of the ocean and started to think about Rey. He remembered her smile, her laugh, her bravery and of all the times they spent together. 

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.  
"I'm doing this for you." he said softly.   
Finn then sensed Luke behind him and turned around. Luke tossed his lightsaber to him and he caught it.   
"Alright, kid." Luke began. "Let's get started." 


	31. *I'm Back!*

The story's not over! Due to popular demand, I will be posting Episode IX very soon. I've taken some time to organize plot points and gave myself a much needed break, but now I'm back and ready to write! 

I appreciate the support from you guys and I look forward to bringing you back into the magic of this story! ;)

****UPDATE: For those of you still reading, you can find my story for Episode IX in the next chapter. Enjoy!****


	32. Our Only Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the official begining of Episode IX.

It's been two months since the events on Endel. General Hux did as Snoke commanded and sent Stormtroopers to the planet, but the place was so destroyed, that nothing could be found. Snoke had been keeping Kylo Ren as a prisoner, torturing him with each passing day. Kylo suffered through it all and wished Snoke could just kill him. 

With Captain Phasma dead and Kylo Ren being on Snoke's bad side, General Hux was able to gain more recognition from his boss and become higher in power. He stood aboard his ship as it traveled through space and prepared to be landing at their destination soon. 

"General." a Stormtrooper began. "We are almost to the Ileenium System."   
"Perfect." Hux began with an evil grin. "Bring forth the prisoner." 

Moments later, two Stormtroopers brought out Kylo Ren. He looked almost unrecognizable. Kylo had been tortured, starved and weakened. His hands were in cuffs that would shock him if he tried to use the force. Kylo had given up on everything. He felt as if he had nothing else to live for. 

General Hux stepped closer to him.   
"Look at what you've become." he began. "And to think that such a short time ago, you were the one calling the shots....how pathetic." 

Kylo heard what he said, but refused to make eye contact. His pride had already been crushed. He didn't like being reminded of it though.  
"Where are you taking me?" he muttered.  
"I think you'd be pleased to know that Snoke has tasked me with paying a visit to your mother." Hux said cruelly.

Kylo looked up at him in disbelief. That was the last thing he wanted the First Order to do.   
"You can't do that!" he managed to say.  
"Are you going to stop me?" Hux asked sarcastically.  
Kylo thought about the hell he went through for two months and looked at his handcuffs. He then lowered his head, realizing he couldn't do anything.  
General Hux then smiled an evil smile at him.  
"That's what I thought." he said.

 

At the Resistance Base, General Leia was in a meeting with high ranking members of the Resistance. Poe was among those who sat before her. 

"I'd like to make an announcement." she began. "You all know I've been part of this war for years now. We've had our fair share of victories and defeats, but I've enjoyed leading you all....I don't plan on resigning anytime soon, but I do want to put someone in place so they can take over after I'm gone....I need someone who is reliable and can lead the Resistance with trust and loyalty....That is why as of today, your second in command will be Poe Dameron."

Poe was shocked that he gained the position. He felt like there were other Resistance members who deserved the title more than he did. Everyone stood up at attention and saluted him.   
"Wow." he said under his breath in shock. 

 

Later the meeting was over and Poe approached Leia.  
"Congratulations, Poe." she began. "Is everything ok?"  
"General." Poe began. "With all due respect, I just don't think I'm cut out for this." 

"You've shown such a high level of commitment to the Resistance. I have faith in you." Leia said sincerely.   
Poe was still nervous and doubted himself.  
"Come with me for a moment. I have to show you something." Leia said.  
Poe started to follow her and noticed BB-8 rolling his way. His friend beeped in excitement, having heard the good news about Poe.  
"Thanks buddy." Poe said as they followed Leia.

Leia led them to a room filled with vaults. Poe and BB-8 were amazed with the room. They had never even knew about that part of the base. Leia walked up to a vault and opened it. She reached in and grabbed the item that was in there so she could show it to them. Poe and BB-8 were anxious to see what was in her hand. Leia smiled at them and opened her hand. When they finally got to see what it was, they looked disappointed.

"It's....a rock." Poe said displeased.  
Leia then gave him a look.  
"This is not a rock. It's an Elara stone." she explained.

Poe and BB-8 looked at it and grew curious.  
"What's an Elara stone?" Poe asked.  
"Elara stones were rare stones that could only be found in the deepest darkest caves on the planet Elara." Leia began. "Unfortunately, the planet was blown up and this is the last one in the entire galaxy....This stone has the ability to absorb power on such high levels that we can't even imagine. However, it can't hold power from both the Light Side and the Dark Side at the same time. When highly absorbed with the abilities of one side, it can take out any amount of power from the opposing side.... It also has the ability to resurrect, but another's life must be lost while holding the stone in order to do so."

Poe and BB-8 looked at the stone in amazement.  
"Where does it get it's power from?" Poe asked.  
"The Force." Leia answered.  
Poe then looked confused and handed the stone back to Leia.  
"But I'm not Force sensitive." he said.

"I know." Leia began. "I was just showing this to you so you know of its abilities and make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands....Whoever possesses this, must be on our side otherwise it could be the end of everything we know and love....You're a leader now. It is your responsibility that if in a crisis, this stone gets to the right person." 

Poe thought about what she said started to feel a little bit more confident in himself, but he also felt pressure.   
"I know you're worried about the new position, but I chose you because I have so much faith in you." Leia said with a smile.

 

Suddenly, an alarm went off and the two of them quickly rushed to see what was going on. Resistance members were running left and right as they got to their stations.  
"We're under attack! The First Order is here!" a man shouted.

Poe quickly ran over to his X-Wing with BB-8 rushing behind him. Some X-Wings near him were getting blown up just as some of the pilots got in them. Poe grabbed the controls and BB-8 was lifted to his usual spot. Just as Poe was ready to take off, the back of his X-Wing had blown up.

"NOOO!" he yelled as he quickly hopped out to check on BB-8.  
He quickly grabbed his friend and looked to see if he was ok. Luckily, he only had a few minor harms that were done to him. BB-8 beeped and Poe could tell he was scared.  
"It's going to be ok, buddy. You're ok." he reassured him.

Poe looked around him and saw destruction everywhere. He noticed most of the pilots had been taken out and many Resistance members were fighting for their lives. He couldn't believe it, but the First Order actually had the upper hand. He quickly got up and grabbed his blaster so he could shoot down the Stormtroopers.

 

General Hux stayed inside his ship and watched as the First Order fought the Resistance. He had forced Kylo to watch it all happen before them. Hux then noticed General Leia on the ground, taking out Stormtroopers.   
"Ah, there she is." he said cruelly.  
"NO! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!" Kylo yelled.

Hux then hit him in the face.   
"I'm going to do what I want and you're going to watch this." he said to him.   
Hux then stepped to some controls and pressed a button that launched a massive missile near Leia.  
"NOOOO!" Kylo yelled.

As Poe fought on the ground, he noticed the missile and moved Leia out of the way. The missile ended up hitting into part of the building, causing a huge collapse around them. 

Inside the ship, Kylo had gotten up and hit General Hux in anger. Even though his hands were cuffed, he tried to fight Hux every way possible, but unfortunately, Hux managed to knock him down and commanded some Stormtroopers to take him away. As Kylo was being taken away, he watched as Hux wiped blood from his mouth. 

 

On the ground, Poe pulled Leia away from the debris and checked to see if she was ok. Other Resistance members came near them.  
"GENERAL!" he said.  
Leia then opened her eyes and looked at him.   
"Thank you Poe." she managed to say.

One of the Resistance nurses checked up on her.  
"Her heartbeat is fine. She just has some serious injures." the nurse began. "We have to get you medical attention quickly. What are your orders General?"

"Everyone load up in any ships we can find....We need to escape so we can fight another day." Leia told them.  
She then looked at Poe and reached into her pocket.   
"Poe." she began as she handed him the Elara stone. "I need you to take this to Finn....He's our only hope." 


	33. For the Right Reasons

It was morning on the island and Luke had woke from his sleep. He got up and noticed R2 in the room.  
"Morning." he said.  
R2 then beeped at him to wish a good morning as well and to tell him that the clothes on the clothes-line had dried overnight.   
"Thanks for reminding me." Luke began. "I should get those first before doing anything else this morning or I'd forget like last time."

Moments later, Luke and R2 went to the clothes-line. As Luke took the laundry off the line, he couldn't help, but notice that beside  his Jedi robes was a shirt of Finn's and his jacket. Luke rolled his eyes realizing this wasn't the first time Finn had not come for his laundry.   
"Of course." Luke said as he grabbed them off the line.

R2 beeped at Luke saying that he should cut Finn some slack since he's been working hard ever since he got there.  
"I know, I know." Luke began as they walked. "But he still needs to show responsibility." 

 

It wasn't long before Luke entered Finn's room with a basket of his clothes.  
"Finn. We've been over this." Luke began. "I'm not going to get your laundry anymore. I know you've been tired from Jedi training, but that doesn't excuse you from your responsibilities....Finn. Are you listening to me?" 

No one responded and Luke moved the blanket off the bed only to see that Finn wasn't there. Luke wondered where he could be and turned around. Chewie had just entered the room and roared. Luke then realized where he could be and sighed.  
"Of course." he said.

 

Finn had gotten up very early that morning and wanted to get a head start on his Jedi training. For the past two months, Finn had demonstrated great progress and was able to control his force ability better. Finn had dedicated to being a Jedi so much that he would often train even when he didn't need to. He wanted to be the best he could be. Finn had finally started to feel one with the force and his skill level had gotten so high, that Luke even said he had become one of his best students.

Jedi training had caused Finn to become so much different than he ever had been before, both inside and out. On the inside, he managed to feel very in-tune with the force and possess such a great strength with it. As for the outside, Finn had become very physically fit and toned due to his training and exercises. He'd look almost unrecognizable to someone who hadn't seen him in a while, but deep down, Finn was still the same dedicated, lovable and determined guy he had always been.

 

Finn had just finished doing a set of push ups and stood up. He stood at the top of the island, at a cliff and looked out to the gorgeous ocean. Finn then looked below the cliff and saw numerous hills and broken ruins below him. He backed up for a moment and did a running start to jump.

When he jumped off the cliff, he did a flip in the air and landed on his feet. Finn then grabbed his lightsaber and turned it on. The bright blue light from it reflected on his face and he decided to make a few practice swings. Finn then took a great leap onto another hill, but ended up causing some huge rocks to come rolling his way. 

He quickly turned around and used the force to lift and move the first one out of the way. Another one came towards him and he jumped on top of it as it rolled. Finn carefully kept his balance as it rolled down the hill. He then used the force to stop the others in their place and quickly jumped off the huge rock. 

Finn made a few more practice swings with his lightsaber and decided to turn it off once he felt a strong wind. He placed his lightsaber back at his hip and stood there for a moment to enjoy the wind. It always calmed him. The fresh air and the beautiful scenery was also great for him As he stood there, he felt the force move through his veins. Never in a million years did someone think that a Stormtrooper would experience every opportunity he had and become a Jedi.

He then walked to the edge of another cliff and decided to jump into the water. The coolness of the ocean water relaxed him as he swam. Finn then swam back up to the surface to get some air. He looked over at the shore and saw Luke standing with R2 and Chewie. Finn could tell Luke looked unhappy and that he was most likely going to be in trouble for something he did wrong, but at the moment, he didn't care and smiled as he enjoyed the water. 

 

Seconds later, Finn swam to shore. Chewie roared and handed him a towel.  
"Thanks Chewie." Finn said as he dried himself.   
He then noticed Luke was holding a basket with his laundry.  
"You were willing to get up this early again and yet you still didn't find time to get your laundry." Luke said.  
"I'm so sorry Master Luke." Finn began. "I forgot. It won't happen again. I promise." 

Finn then grabbed a shirt and his jacket out of the basket and put it on.   
"Finn." Luke began. "I think it's time you try the Jedi robes."   
"You told me that what I usually wear is fine." Finn said as he adjusted his jacket.   
Luke then gave him a look.   
"I told you that because I was hoping you would stay and train." he admitted.

Finn then smiled. After being around Luke for two months, he started to realize just how unpredictable his Jedi master was.  
"Just try them out." Luke began. "It would be more comfortable to wear especially since you keep training so much."

"I train just fine in what I usually wear." Finn began. "It's not like the robes would make training any easier."   
Luke then looked at him.  
"I'm curious." he began. "Why is it that you train so much, even when I don't ask you to?....Don't get me wrong, I love your commitment, but what would be your reason if you had to say?

"To be honest,....ever since I got here, I set myself a goal that I intend to achieve." Finn began. "And that's to become strong enough so I can avenge Rey."  
After hearing that, Luke realized that Finn had based his entire Jedi traing on revenge. 

"Finn...." Luke began as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can train all you want to and go confront the First Order, but that's not going to bring her back....you've got to let go of your personal grief and use your Jedi talents for the bigger picture of things, otherwise you're going to be on this road of revenge that you'll never see an end to." 

Finn thought about what he said and looked at him. His missed Rey so much, that he thought about her everyday and he hoped that if he got to avenge her, he'd finally be at peace with himself. He wanted so bad, to show everyone that he was no longer that naive and scared Stormtrooper anymore.  
"I think I'll be ok." he said as he grabbed the basket from Luke and began to walk away to the stone steps.

Luke watched as he walked away and couldn't help, but feel bad for Finn. But he also worried for him.


	34. Looks Can Be Deceiving

Deep within the galaxy on an unknown planet, Ava made her way down the halls of a First Order facility in a stealth like manner. She stopped when she came to an office door and entered the room. Ava closed the door behind her carefully, hoping not to get noticed. 

The room was dimly lit and silent. She then quietly approached a monitor containing files and began searching through the data. On the screen, appeared information about Snoke. She needed to find out the exact location of his castle. Suddenly, she felt someone point a blaster to her head.

"Nyla Ren." the voice began. "Just what do you think you're doing?"   
Ava remained still and recognized the voice. It was Kalar, the previous general before Hux.  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Ava answered.  
"I'd say by the looks of it, you're trying to find Snoke....I can't let you do that." Kalar answered as his finger was about to hit the trigger.

Within the next second, Ava then quickly moved his aim to the ceiling and knocked the blaster out of his hand. She elbowed him in the gut and hit him in the face. Kalar fought back and restrained her.  
"When the Supreme Leader finds out about this, you can say goodbye to your place amongst the Knights of Ren." Kalar said in a bitter tone.

Ava then got out of his grasp and punched him in the face. She did a spin kick and knocked him down to the ground. Just as he was about to get up and continue fighting, Ava pulled out a purple lightsaber with hilts and placed it at his neck.   
"How dare you defy the First Order? How dare you defy Snoke?" Kalar said angrily.

"Me going against Snoke isn't anything new....You know that." Ava said coldly.  
She then was about to kill him right on the spot, but was stopped.

 

"AVA! This is not part of the plan." a voice said.  
Suddenly a hooded figure entered the room. It was the same person Ava met two months ago at a bar.  
"We agreed not to kill him." they said.

Kalar looked confused.  
"Who is this?" he asked Ava.  
"This is who needs to find Snoke and if I were you, I'd stay on their good side." Ava began. "Looks can be deceiving."

"And just what is their very reason for their actions?" Kalar asked.  
"My reasons for finding Snoke are my personal business." the hooded figure began. "Now. You're going to get up, go to that monitor and give us the information we need, or else!"   
"What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?" Kalar asked.  
"Because this is very important. Not just to me, but for every living thing." the hooded figure began. "The fate of the galaxy is at stake." 

Kalar then looked at Ava.  
"Is this for real?" he began, not taking either of them seriously. "You can't make me do anything! I have a loyalty to the First Order! I don't care why you need to find him! Besides, what could possibly be so important, that I'd risk everything in the galaxy to...."   
Kalar couldn't finish his sentence because he felt a force choking him. 

Ava looked up at her partner in crime and gave them a look.   
"So it's not ok for me to slice him up, but it's ok for you to choke him....that seems fair." she said sarcastically.   
"What! I gave him a chance to cooperate and he refused to. I know it's harsh, but what was I supposed to do after that?" they asked.  
Ava then grew a small smile realizing that was something she would actually do.  
"You've been around me for too long." she said.


	35. Help is on the Way

Poe flew his ship through space and hoped to get Finn and Luke soon. It wasn't long until he saw the planet and began to arrive there.   
"Whoa." he said in amazement as he flew the ship and saw how beautiful the planet was.

The ship flew gracefully over the water and soon landed on the island. Moments later, Poe got out of the ship and looked around. He took a few steps and eventually saw a hooded man, who turned out to be Luke Skywalker. 

Just being in the presence of Luke Skywalker, always made Poe awkward.  
"Uh, Mr. Skywalker." he began. "I don't know if you remember me...."  
"You're Poe Dameron. A Resistance pilot, under the command of my sister." Luke said.  
Poe tried to hold back his excitement because he remembered him.

"Yes, Sir." he began. "In fact, that's why I'm here. She's sent me to find Finn. The Resistance Base in the Ileenium System has been attacked. We need Finn's help desperately."   
Luke had gotten a sense that Leia was in trouble, but he didn't think it was this bad. 

 

"POE!" a voice said from a distance.   
Poe looked to see where it came from and saw Finn at the top of some hills. Poe then grew a smile when he realized it was Finn. From the sound of his voice, he could tell that his friend had that same excitement that he always had. 

Finn then started to quickly make his way down the hills. As he did this, he managed to do all kinds of flips and jumps. Poe was in shock and couldn't believe that was Finn. When Finn finally reached the shore, he ran over to his friend and gave him a quick hug. 

Poe was still in shock and realized that not only was Finn skillfully different, he was physically different. As a result of working out constantly while training, Finn had looked more toned and muscular. Poe was speechless and didn't know what to say.

"So what brings you here?" Finn asked as he gave Poe a bro-like pat on the shoulder.  
Poe still couldn't believe how different Finn looked. He was about to answer, but Luke decided to answer for him.

"He says that the Resistance Base has been attacked and they need your help." Luke said as he walked over to them.   
Finn then looked over at Luke.  
"Do you think I'm ready to leave the island?" he asked. 

To be honest, Luke wasn't sure if Finn was ready to go. Sure, Finn had become very powerful in such a short time and was close to mastering the ways of the Force, but he was afraid that once Finn was among the outside worlds, his seek for revenge would get the best of him. 

"You can go help them." Luke hesitated as he began. "But I need to come along as well."   
Finn then got so excited. This would be his first time being among the outside worlds since becoming a Jedi. 

He then looked over to Poe.   
"I need to pack!" he began as he gestured towards him. "C'mon! I'll show you where we train."  
Finn started to head up the stone steps with Poe following behind. 

Poe was still amazed at Finn's change and was low key jealous.  
"You've got to tell me....What kind of diet did Luke put you on?" he joked.

 

Later, Finn had his things packed and boarded the ship. Luke had to look at the island one last time before getting aboard. He looked over at Finn and still had this deep worry for him. Moments later, he entered the ship. 

"So where to?" Finn asked.  
"I got a message a few minutes ago from the others." Poe began as he sat at the controls. "It looks like we're going to Cloud City."   
"We're meeting with....my father?" Finn asked.  
Finn was fully aware that Lando was his father, but with all that's happened he hadn't really gotten a chance to build a relationship with him. After all, he did decide to follow his grandfather's footsteps instead. 

"Yeah." Poe began as he used the controls. "We will be recruiting more Resistance members there and Lando has agreed to provide a place of safety for all of us until we can rebuild."   
Soon, the ship began flying and they were on their way.


	36. Snoke's Plan

Kylo Ren was in handcuffs as he walked with two Stormtroopers. They were walking down a hallway on a First Order ship. As they walked, they went past a room of some First Order officers enjoying meal time. Kylo envied them because he had hardly eaten anything in the past two months. It was the First Order's way of trying to keep him weak, but still alive.

It wasn't long before they entered a room with General Hux and Snoke's hologram.  
"Kylo Ren." Snoke began. "I have reason to believe that you may have more to do with betraying me on Endel than I thought."

"I've admitted to helping the Resistance escape and I eliminated some of our own troops. You know that! What else do you think I've possibly done?" Kylo asked angrily.

Snoke then leaned forward in his chair.  
"I believe you know why we haven't been able to find the girl." he said.  
"The entire base was destroyed." Kylo began. "Not to mention, almost completely under water now. Finding her body would be impossible! There's no way she or the child survived!"   
"That's what you want us to believe." Snoke said coldly.

Kylo looked at Snoke and felt every nerve in his body stiffen in fear.  
"I have a strong feeling that you are behind all of this." Snoke began. "You thought of a last minute plan that you believed would work out in everyone's favor, but you forgot that I always win....I thought you were smart enough to know what I'm capable of. Your Knights of Ren are certainly aware....Well, all except Nyla Ren....She's always been a little rebellious and I've started to question where her loyalties lie."

"Her loyalties lie with me." Kylo said angrily.  
"Is that so?" Snoke began. "Well if that's the case, then I don't see any reason for her to be around."

Hearing Snoke say this, made Kylo worry for her. They have a past and a complicated relationship, but he didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her on account of his actions.

"I'm going to say this once." Kylo began. "If you hurt her, you're going to regret it. That's a promise."  
Snoke and Hux didn't take him seriously.  
"You really think you intimidate us with that statement?" Hux said sarcastically. 

 

Kylo grew angry and within the next second, he attacked the two Stormtroopers that were at his side and tried to escape, but more Stormtroopers rushed in and restrained him. Kylo couldn't use the Force to fight, due to his special handcuffs that squeezed his wrists. 

A Stormtrooper approached Hux with a baton and handed it to him. Hux then went to Kylo and attacked him twice. Kylo fell to the ground in pain. His mouth was bleeding and he was bruised all over. Hux made eye contact with him and Kylo looked back at him angrily.

"Why....Don't you just....kill me....get all of this over with?" Kylo managed to say as he was still in pain.  
"I've wondered that myself." Hux answered as he was about to end him, but Snoke got his attention before he could go through with it.

"GENERAL!" he yelled. "I did not give you permission to kill him."   
"He's of no use to us, Supreme Leader! Why keep him alive?" Hux argued.  
"Because...." Snoke began. "I can sense that someone will come for him....and when they do,....I can finally get what I want."   
"You're suggesting we use him as bait?" Hux asked.  
"Precisely." Snoke answered. 


	37. A Day in Cloud City

In a City filled with people, Ava was wearing a black cloak and matched the hooded figure next to her.   
"Why are we here?" the figure asked.  
"We won't be here long." Ava began. "I know someone here who can find any security code in the galaxy. We're going to need Snoke's security code if we plan on going through with this."

The hooded figure continued to walk beside her until they decided to stop and really notice the world around them.  
"What is it? You feeling ok?" Ava asked.  
"Yeah, its just. There's so many buildings....and so many people....I've never seen anything like this before." they began. "What is this place?"   
"Cloud City." Ava answered.

 

In another part of the city, Poe carefully landed the ship on a landing dock. Luke and Finn exited the ship and looked out to the city. Finn couldn't help, but sense something within the city.  
"It's been awhile. The city's changed a bit." Luke began. "So much had happened here. Some defining moments for me for sure." 

"Like what?" Finn asked.  
"Let's see." Luke began. "I officially met my father here in this city. He froze Han in carbonite and cut off my hand."  
Finn then gave him a look, not knowing if Luke was joking or not.

"I hope you're joking." he said.  
Luke then gave Finn a pat on the back.  
"Oh, it's no big deal." he began. "I speak from experience of being a Skywalker myself, nothing about my family surprises me anymore. We're destined for drama and chaos." 

 

Poe then got out of the ship and joined them.   
"I just got a message from Calrissian. He gave us directions to the palace and said that some tenants will be there to assist us." he said.  
Poe began to lead the way and Luke prepared to follow, but noticed something was going on with Finn. 

"Everything ok?" Luke asked.  
Finn then looked at him.  
"I....I'll join you guys in a little while." he said.  
"And just where do you think you're going to go?" Luke began. "You don't know this city and we have to meet up with your father as soon as possible."   
"You don't understand." Finn began. "I feel a strong force presence here. Don't you feel it too?"

"The only strong force presence I sense is you." Luke began. "Finn. Listen, if this is about you grieving for Rey...."   
"I knew you wouldn't understand." Finn interrupted.  
He then went to the edge of the landing dock and jumped down into the city below him. 

Poe was in shock and couldn't believe what he just saw. He and Luke looked down and could see Finn running and leaping from the tops of buildings.  
"What do you suggest we do?" Poe asked.  
"Contact Lando and tell him of what's going on. Tell him to send for back up." Luke said.  
Poe was then shocked at Luke's order.  
"Backup? Why would we need backup to go get Finn?" he asked.  
"Because." Luke began. "It's going to take a lot to get ahold of him. He's not thinking straight and his mind is driven on revenge. We can't let him hurt anyone." 

 

Finn leaped from building to building as he made his way closer to the ground. When he made it to the street, he began to run through a crowd of people. He noticed a row of flying vehicles in front of him and hopped on top of them as he made his way across. A man flying his vehicle noticed Finn was in the way and honked at him to move. 

This angered Finn and he ended up using the force on the man's car. The car slammed into a pole and caused a traffic jam. Finn didn't mean to hit the car into the pole, he just wanted to move it out of the way, but he was a little too powerful. Finn then hurried to see if the man was ok. 

When he did, the man got out of the vehicle and started to attack him with a blaster. Finn dodged the shots and noticed an angry group of people were coming toward him. They complained about the traffic and saw what he did.   
"This is a brand new Pod! Do you know how much this cost? Who do you think you are?" the man from the broken vehicle yelled.

Finn then got even more angry and stressed out, and took out his lightsaber. He slashed through the hood of the man's vehicle angrily. Everyone then panicked and started to back away in fear. 

"YOU'RE ONLY WORRIED ABOUT YOUR STUPID POD?" Finn shouted. "THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH BIGGER PROBLEMS!!!!....I have bigger problems!....Your Pod is a material thing! IT CAN BE REPLACED!....I lost everything that meant something to me! But unlike your Pod, they can't be replaced!" 

Finn turned around and looked at all of the faces that surrounded him. They all looked at him in fear, but felt sorry for him. He noticed two innocent children standing in front of their mother as they looked back at him. Finn then felt his heart sink and turned off his lightsaber. 

 

Soon, sirens could be heard getting closer to the area. Everyone looked in the direction of the sounds and saw that the Cloud City guards were coming. Finn then decided to run away from the crowd, but ended up coming across the guards as he did so. 

The guards tried to catch him, but Finn took out his lightsaber and began fighting them off. Just when Finn was about to get away, he felt a strong force grip get a hold of him and he couldn't move. Finn started to find it harder to breathe and when the grip let go, he collapsed to the ground. 

Finn looked up and saw Luke, Lando and Poe standing above him.   
"Don't you ever make me do that to you again." Luke said angrily.   
A Cloud City guard then handcuffed Finn. 

 

In another part of Cloud City, Ava traveled with the mysterious figure. They were in a bad part of the city and couldn't trust anyone.  
"Were almost there." Ava said as they made their way down the street.

Suddenly, the two of them were attacked by a gang of thieves. As they fought them off, Ava took out her lightsaber and attacked them. Her friend attacked them as well, but they could only do so much. Within the next second, they were injured in the side and collapsed. Ava continued to fight them off and the last two remaining, quickly ran away. She ran over to her friend and helped them up.  

"No no no no no!" she said in a worried tone as she helped them up.  
Ava looked at her friend's injury and noticed there luckily wasn't any blood, but there was definetly a chance of some serious internal injury.  
"We have to get you to a hospital." Ava suggested.

"NO!" her friend yelled. "They'll find out! And everything we worked for will be over! I'm not taking that chance!"   
Ava then thought about someone she knew in the city who could help. Sure the medical attention wouldn't be the best quality, but it was better than nothing.   
"I think I know who could help you." she said.

 

 

At the Cloud City palace, Finn sat in a luxury chair looking at Luke with an awkward silence in the room.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Luke asked angrily.   
Finn was about to answer, but Luke felt the need to vent his anger and began pacing around the room.

"This is exactly why I didn't want you leaving the island yet!" he began. "Yeah. You're powerful....one of my strongest students, to be exact! But you lack discipline and that is a big part of being a Jedi! You can't go around pulling stunts like what you did today! That's misusing your power! That's the kind of stuff Sith do with the force! You can't be doing that!....I understand you've been going though some internal conflict, but I always told you that you can come talk to me about these things!....You're not the only one who misses Rey. She was my daughter! I wish I could've been a better father to her. She meant the world to me! Sure, I got upset with her at times, but it was only because I...." 

Luke then stopped when he made eye contact with Finn. Something about looking directly at Finn, made him start to hold back tears because he realized how his relationship with Finn reminded him of his relationship with Rey. In that moment, he noticed how much alike the two of them were. 

"Master Luke." Finn began. "Are you ok?"   
Luke then looked away from him for a moment and took a deep breath.   
"Yeah, Finn....I'm fine." he said.   
Luke then looked at Finn once more before leaving the room.

 

 

Deep within Cloud City, Ava took her friend to someone who could help. The place was very run down and not good quality, but they didn't mind.   
"Hello?" Ava said as they looked around.   
Her friend took a seat on the cot and looked at an area of run down computer monitors. 

Suddenly someone made their way into the room.  
"Ava Jopia!" they said as they approached her.  
"Maz Kanata!" Ava replied as she gave her a hug.   
"What brings you here?" Maz asked.  
"I'm lucky I was able to find you. You're usually all over the place." Ava began. "I brought my injured friend here to...."   
Maz and Ava both noticed her friend wasn't in the room anymore. 

They quickly tried to run away, but Maz stopped them. They both looked at each other for a moment and the hooded figure slowly started to back away.   
"Dear child." Maz began. "I sense that there's more to you than you want anyone to know. There is nothing to fear....let me help you."

Maz reached out her hand and the hooded figure gently grabbed it. Moments later, Maz was checking on her patient as they lay on the cot with a few wires on them.

"How did the injury happen?" Maz asked.  
"We were attacked by thieves and one of them had a metal pipe." Ava began. "Is it bad?"  
"Actually, no." Maz began. "If anyone else were in this position, they would've endured some serious damage, but....it appears something unusual helped prevent that from happening."

"About that." Ava began. "My friend here is dealing with a....special situation. Just so you know."   
"Oh, I see. It's a special situation indeed." Maz said as she adjusted her goggles. 

Ava then turned to look at some of the items on the shelves. Maz set up and extra wire and noticed something. Soon, a beeping noise could be heard. Ava and her friend got worried.  
"What does that mean?" her friend asked.  
"Is everything ok?" Ava asked.

Maz adjusted her goggles once again and smiled.   
"Yes. But there's good news and well,...other news." she began. "The good news is, your injury was only minor and you're perfectly healthy. As for the other news....there are now two of what you call, special situations." 

Ava couldn't believe her ears. Her friend then got worried as to what that would mean. Maz went over to her patient on the cot and looked at them.  
"Oh, and don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." she whispered.


	38. Surprise!

In the Cloud City palace, Finn was inside of a luxury room by himself. He looked out the window and saw the rest of the city. As he looked, he couldn't help but still sense that force presence he felt earlier that day. 

In another area of the palace, Luke and Lando discussed on what to do about Finn. Poe sat in the room as well and wondered if he should jump in the conversation.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with him." Luke began as he took a seat. "I should've never let him come out here."  
"I feel like part of this is my fault." Lando began. "He should've came here to Cloud City with me first before I let him go into Jedi training. I let him go with you because it seemed like that was what his heart wanted him to do."

"And to think that now, he's the only hope for the Resistance....He needs to get over this hunt for revenge before he plans on saving anyone much less the rest of the galaxy." Luke said.

Poe then stepped closer to the both of them.  
"Master Luke, Senator Calrissian." he began. "Before I was sent to go find Finn, General Leia gave me this....Elara stone. She told me of its abilities and to give it to Finn. She believes that it will help him defeat Snoke when he's ready." 

"What! Where is it?" Luke asked in disbelief.  
Poe reached into his pocket and took it out to show them. They both could not believe their eyes.  
"It must be the last one in the entire galaxy." Lando said.

"He's not ready for that power." Luke began. "Put that away....I can't believe this, but I might just have to take him back to the island. I don't know if he's ready for all of this."   
"Wait." Lando began. "Let me talk to him first. Maybe I can get through to him."

 

It was nighttime in Cloud City and Ava and her friend were finally able to get the secret security code for Snoke's castle. The two entered a hotel and bought a room.   
"We have all we need. Why can't we just leave the city already?" her friend asked.  
"Because we both can agree that we've had a long day." Ava began. "And after everything you've been through, you really need some rest."   
They both stepped into their suite and made themselves comfortable.

"We'll leave first thing in the morning. I promise." Ava said.  
Her friend then looked out the window and Ava couldn't help, but notice something was up.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
"Nothing....It's nothing." they answered.

Ava then gave them a look.   
"Don't you even think about leaving. You need to get some rest!" she began. "I'm going to go walk around for a bit....Just, please get some rest."  
Moments later, Ava left the suite. Her friend looked back out the window to the city.

 

In the palace, Lando knocked on Finn's door.  
"Finn. It's me." he began as he stood there. "I understand that you're going through a lot right now, but you can always come talk to me about this stuff....I was young like you once and went through the same thing. I lost the love of my life and my child....then years later when I found you, it was a miracle....I just only wish I could've seen you grow up....Finn. Son. Open the door....Finn?"

Lando didn't hear a response from the other side and decided to open the door himself. When he did, he noticed no one was in the room and that the window was open.  
"Oh, no." he said under his breath. 

He then hurried down the hall and found Poe.  
"Get Luke! Finn left the palace!" Lando said.  
"If we tell Luke, he's going to take him back to the island and we won't finish the mission." Poe began. "I figured this would happen again, so I actually placed a tracking chip in his jacket when we caught him today....Just give me a few hours to find him myself. I'm sure he'll listen to me. Don't tell Luke." 

 

Finn was walking the streets of Cloud City. He saw the lit up signs that glowed in the night and people all around him embracing the nightlife. As Finn walked, he followed the force sense he felt which ended up leading him into a bar. 

He looked around the group of crowded people and ended up bumping into a fierce looking alien.  
"Watch where you're going next time!" the alien yelled at him.  
"I'll be sure not to come across you again." Finn began. "I'll know that breath when I smell it."   
The alien then then grew angry and knocked Finn down. Finn quickly got up and took out his lightsaber.

The crowd then started to back away from them. The alien attacked Finn again, but Finn dodged him and swung his lightsaber. The alien barely avoided the blade and attacked him again. 

Soon, some of the alien's friends joined the fight and started to gang up on Finn. They eventually knocked the lightsaber out of his hand and he fell to the ground. As he lay on the ground, he saw the lightsaber a few feet away from him. He reached out his hand toward it, so he could summon it with the force, but just as he was about to, the lightsaber went in a different direction and ended up in the hands of a mysterious hooded figure. 

Finn was in shock at what he saw. The hooded figure turned on the lightsaber and fought off the gruesome gang of aliens. Finn watched in amazement at their swift movements and use of the force. He couldn't believe his eyes as he stood up.

When they defeated the entire gang, everyone around them were in shock. The figure looked over towards Finn, turned off the lightsaber and tossed it back to him. 

There was an awkward moment of silence and soon the hooded figure hurried out the door with Finn running behind them.   
"Wait!" Finn began as he ran outside into a dark alley. "Let me talk to you! Please!"   
The figure then started to leap onto the wall of a building.   
"How is it that you have the force?" Finn asked as he continued to follow them.

 

In another part of Cloud City, Poe followed the tracking sensor. It led him to a hotel and he went to the front desk.   
"How may I help you?" the employee asked.   
"Did you by any chance happen to see a guy wearing a brown leather pilot jacket? He's a few years younger than me." Poe asked.  
"No. I can't say I have." the employee answered. 

Poe then noticed the tracking sensor started blinking and followed the radar. He soon came across a garden that was part of the hotel. When Poe looked over, he noticed a very attractive girl sitting alone and looking at the plants. Poe looked at the tracker, then back at the girl, then back at the tracker again. 

"I'm sure I can hold off on finding Finn for a few minutes." he said under his breath as he placed the tracking sensor inside his pocket.   
Poe then slicked his hair back, fixed his jacket and started to approach the girl. 

"What's a gorgeous girl like you doing sitting alone?" Poe asked.   
The girl then looked at him and rolled her eyes.  
"Nice try, but I'm kinda seeing someone." she answered.  
Poe then took a seat beside her. 

"You're seeing someone?" Poe began. "Does that mean you're dating them or what?"  
"It's complicated." the girl began. "And believe me, if he found out about you trying to hit on me, he'd take you down in a heartbeat....that is, if I didn't do it first." 

Poe smiled and thought she was playing hard to get.  
"You? Take me down?" he began with a sly grin. "You don't look like you would hurt anything."  
The girl then gave him a look.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily.  
"C'mon now." Poe began. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm the best pilot in the Resistance and not to mention, a highly trained fighter....the idea that someone as innocent as you could take me down seems laughable." 

The girl then stood up, took out a purple cross guard lightsaber and held it as his neck.  
"Who said I was innocent?" she asked.

 

Finn continued to follow the hooded figure and found himself coming though a window into a room. The figure stood a few feet before him.  
"Please." he began. "Just hear me out....Ever since I got to this city, I've felt this strong presence in the force and have been trying to find it....I then realized that it was you. It's a connection I haven't felt since....well, since...."  
"Since you lost me." the figure said softly. 

They then removed their hood and revealed their face to Finn. He couldn't believe it. The person who stood before him was Rey. 

Finn didn't know what to think and assumed it had to have been the work of the force.  
"Are you a force ghost?" he began. "You've got to be. I've never seen a force ghost yet, so I don't really know what they look like." 

Rey grew a slight smile and stepped closer to him.   
"I'm sure a force ghost can't do this." she said as she leaned in and kissed him.   
Finn's heart was beating fast and after the kiss he realized it was really her.

He gave her another kiss and hugged her tightly as a tear shed from his eye. Rey began to tear up as well as she hugged him and didn't want to let go.   
"How's the baby?" Finn asked as he continued to hold her close.  
"Everything's fine. I went to a doctor earlier today." Rey began softly. "I also found out something when I went." 

"What is it?" Finn began in a worried tone. "Is something wrong?"   
Rey smiled at him.  
"No. Nothing's wrong....I'm just debating if I should tell you or not." she said.  
Finn smiled back at her and gave her another kiss.

Rey wrapped her arms around him and began to remove his jacket, but he stopped her.  
"What?" she asked.  
"Do you remember the last time you did that?" Finn began with a teasing smile. "That's how we got into this mess."   
Rey smiled back at him and realized he had a point. 

They both continued to hold each other and starred into each other's eyes. Suddenly, they both heard a familiar voice yell for help from outside the room. They both then quickly rushed into the hallway. Finn turned a corner and saw Poe.  
"Poe! What are you doing here? What's going on?" he asked.

Poe was nearly out of breath from running.   
"There's this really hot chick, but she's crazy and trying to kill me!" Poe began. "You won't believe it, but she has the force!!!! And she's also got this lightsaber that looks like Kylo Ren's, but it's purple and also...." 

Poe stopped talking when he saw Rey come from behind the corner. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and then passed out. Finn and Rey were worried for him then looked up and saw Ava standing a few feet before them.

"Oh, so this is must be Finn." she began as she turned off her lightsaber. "I gotta say, considering he used to be a Stormtrooper, he's actually kinda cute."


	39. Two is Better than One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait you guys! College has had me so busy these past couple of days. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try to upload the next chapter as soon as I can.

Poe opened his eyes as he woke up and looked around the room he was in. He then noticed Ava standing a few feet away and quickly got up.  
"We talked to her. She's not going to hurt you." Rey's voice said from behind him.

Poe quickly turned around and looked at Rey in disbelief.  
"Everyone said you died back on Endel." he began. "I saw the dam destroy that entire base. There was so much debris and water....How are you still alive?"  
"It's kind of a long story." Rey shrugged.

Finn then took a few steps closer to them.  
"How did you end up here?" he asked Poe.  
"Well." Poe began. "I was being chased by your crazy friend over there, but before that I came to the hotel because I was following this tracker so I could...."  
"Tracker? What tracker?" Finn asked.

Poe then took a step away from him and pointed at a pocket on Finn's jacket. Finn looked into the pocket and took out a tiny metal gadget with a blinking red light. As he held it in his hand, he used the force to levitate it just a few inches from his palm in mid air and crushed it as he gave Poe an angry look.

"I'm so sorry about that." Poe began. "But Luke wanted me to use that to find you."  
"Does he know I'm not in the palace?" Finn asked angrily.  
"No. Only Lando and I know." Poe began. "We didn't want to tell Luke because....well...."  
"What?" Finn asked.  
"Luke wants to take you back to the island....He doesn't think you're ready to help the Resistance." Poe explained.

"Why would he not be ready?" Rey asked.  
Poe then gave Finn a look realizing he hadn't mentioned to her about his unusual behavior lately. He chose not to inform her of the details and felt that it should be Finn who tells her about what's been going on.  
"I don't know." he shrugged.

 

He then reached into his pocket and grabbed the Elara stone Leia had gave to him.   
"Finn. Listen." he began. "General Leia gave me this to give to you."  
He then opened his hand and revealed the stone.

"She says it's an Elara stone. They were already rare before, but this is the last one in the entire galaxy." Poe began. "She says that it only works for those who are one with the force. She also said that it can absorb great amounts of power and that it can resurrect, but only if someone dies while in possession of it. Only then can it bring back the life of another....She told me to make sure I give this to you. It's what we need to defeat Snoke." 

Finn, Rey and Ava all looked at the stone in amazement. Finn then looked at Poe.  
"If you, my father and Master Luke don't think I'm ready, why give this to me?" he asked.  
"Because I trust you." Poe began sincerely. "I trust that you will do the right thing when the time comes."

Poe then placed the stone in Finn's hand. Finn looked at the stone, then at his friend. It meant a lot that considering his actions lately, Poe still trusted him.  
"Thank you." he said sincerely.

 

At the palace, Lando was waiting for Poe to return with Finn. He kept trying to avoid Luke because he was terrible at lying. He soon got a message from Poe and hurried to answer it.  
"Hello?" he said.  
"Hey. I found Finn." Poe said.  
"Good. Is he ok?" Lando asked.  
"Yeah. He's doing fine." Poe answered.

Lando then exhaled in relief.  
"That's great." he began. "How soon can you have him back?"   
"Um, about that." Poe began. "I should be bringing him back by sometime tomorrow morning."   
"TOMORROW MORNING!!!!" Lando said in a stressed out tone.  
"Yeah...." Poe said as he scratched his head.  
"Why can't you bring him tonight? I don't think I can hide this from Luke any longer." Lando said.

"I trust he won't do anything outrageous." Poe began. "Besides, he kinda wanted to spend the night away. Just this once."   
"What could possibly make him want to spend the night away from the palace?" Lando asked.  
"You'd be surprised." Poe began. "....I know I was...."  
Lando then rolled his eyes.  
"Alright, fine." he began. "Just make sure he's ok and that you bring him back first thing in the morning."  
"Ok. Will do." Poe said.  
Soon the call ended.

 

At the hotel, Finn and Rey lay on a balcony and looked at the stars. They were both very close to one another and shared a blanket. They hadn't had any time to themselves in the midst of all that's happened. Not to mention the two month span of not even seeing each other.

Rey scooted closer to Finn and cuddled up to him. She felt his arms around her and smiled.  
"I noticed you've gotten more fit." she said as she smiled at him.  
"Yeah. That's from the Jedi training....You impressed?" he teased her.  
Rey then smiled and blushed a little.  
"I like your new look, but to be honest, I kind of miss when you weren't so muscular." she began. "You were just....you."

"I'm still me." Finn said.  
Rey then looked at him.  
"I know." she began. "You're still the same Finn that couldn't take your eyes off me the moment we met on Jakku."   
She then gave him a kiss and felt Finn's hand touch her waist. 

Finn then looked at her.  
"When will you start showing?" he asked.  
"I already am a little bit, but it's kinda hard to tell." Rey began. "In about two more weeks it should be very noticeable....That's why I want to hurry and defeat Snoke. I want to put an end to all of this before I get further along."

"Don't worry." Finn began as he looked into her eyes. "I promise I will stop at nothing until Snoke is dead." 

 

The two of them then looked at the stars again and Rey let out a deep breath.  
"Do you think parenting is going to be hard?" she asked.  
"Well, yeah." Finn began. "But we can figure it out along the way."  
"I'm just worried because you and I both grew up without our parents." Rey began. "We don't even know the first thing about being parents." 

"It won't just be us though." Finn began. "One good thing I can say about both of us being involved in all of this craziness is that along the way, we found a family of our own....Sure, they're a bit dysfunctional, but when you think about it,....Luke, Leia, Chewie, Lando, Poe....even the droids, they're all our family. I'm sure they'd help us out and be there for us. They always have."

Rey thought about what he said and realized he had a point. She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
"I suppose you're right." she began. "It's going to be tough raising children and we're going to need all the help we could get."

Finn then realized what she said and quickly sat up.  
"What's wrong?" Rey asked.  
"Rey....You just said children. What exactly do you mean by that?" he asked.  
There was an awkward silence as they looked at each other. 

The truth is, Rey had discovered something when Maz helped her out earlier that day. She felt that she should at least tell Finn, but also wanted to see if he could figure it out or maybe surprise him.

"I just....well." she began as she thought fast. "I wouldn't mind having more than one child....What do you think?"  
Finn then smiled at her.  
"Rey." he began. "I don't mind having more kids, but I think we should just focus on this first one and see how we do, before having more." 

He then gave her a kiss and lied back down. Rey wondered if he caught on to what she was trying to say, but he still seemed oblivious.

She snuggled up closer to him and could hear his heart beating.  
"So." she began softly. "That's good to know....About how many children do you think you could handle?"   
"Honestly, I think I could only handle one more perhaps." Finn said as he yawned. "Two children total for us sounds good. Yeah. This and one more seems reasonable. What do you think?"   
Rey smiled as she continued to snuggled up to him.  
"That's perfect." she said.


	40. The Unexpected

Early the next morning, Poe woke up from the deep sleep he had on a couch in the suite. He had gotten a message from Lando and decided to answer it.  
"Morning, Senator Calrissian." he managed to say as he yawned.   
"Dameron. I'm giving you one hour to bring Finn back to the palace." Lando began. "Luke just got in contact with Leia this morning and we plan on going to meet up with the other Resistance members today."

"Alright, sir. I'll be sure to bring him back as soon as possible." Poe reassured him.   
Soon the call ended and Poe got up from the couch.   
"Why not let Finn do what he wants? He's obviously happy being with Rey." Ava's voice said from across the room.   
Poe looked in her direction and continued to adjust his shirt.

"I have a duty to make sure Finn helps the Resistance." Poe began. "Billions of lives are at state. Finn knows that. He knows what he must do. We all have a role we play in all of this."  
Ava then stepped closer to Poe.   
"And what might your role be?" she asked.  
"To do as commanded and do whatever it takes to save this galaxy." Poe began. "I have to fulfill my expectations and prepare to take on the role of General when the time comes."

"I get it." Ava began. "You're trying to live up to a legend. You want to be as successful as Leia....but you do realize she didn't always follow the rules either. She made her own path."  
"What are you talking about? You don't even know her." Poe argued.  
"That's where you're wrong." Ava began as she folded her arms. "I know her. I also knew Han....I know more people than you think I do....You think I don't know anything about the Skywalker family? I know so much more than you do. Trust me....My great-grandfather was there when all of this chaos began. He had fought alongside Anakin and Kenobi in the battle of Geonosis, before tragedy struck. I never met him, but his daughter, my grandmother told me how this all happened." 

Poe was surprised at what she said. He never thought that even Ava had a significance to all of what's happened in the galaxy.   
"Who are you? And your great-grandfather?" he asked.  
Ava glanced at her lightsaber then back at him.   
"It doesn't matter." she began. "His legacy doesn't define who I am. I chose my own path."   
"So you joined the Dark Side?" Poe asked. "You resented your heritage, so you joined the Dark Side....until now."

Ava then gave him a look.  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
Poe then stepped closer to her.  
"I don't know about you, but I'm really good at reading people." he began. "You somehow lost your way, but lately you've been getting back on the right track....but, why? I wonder....You seem like the type that has no reason to join the Light Side, unless it could be due to the fact that you actually care for something,....or someone." 

Ava couldn't believe it, but Poe was exactly right.  
"I'm guessing you're going against the First Order because it somehow has something to do with the guy you said you were seeing....Why else would you help Rey?" Poe asked.   
"You don't know anything about me." she mumbled in denial.  
Poe then grew a slight grin.  
"Oh, but I think I do." he said.

 

Finn and Rey were still asleep and cuddled up out on the balcony. The sun was just starting to rise and Rey quickly woke up from her sleep when she began to sense something. She sat up and looked completely terrified. Finn then woke up and put his arm around her.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he gave her a kiss on the shoulder.  
"Finn." Rey began nervously. "I think we're in danger. I can feel it."   
Finn then looked worried and grabbed her hand. When he did however, he suddenly got startled by a quick vision flash. 

"What did you see?" Rey asked.   
"It couldn't be." Finn said as he got up, put on his shirt and looked out to the city.   
Within the next second, Rey was standing beside him and the two of them looked at the sky. Suddenly, a huge moving object cast a shadow over most of the city. It wasn't long before they realized it was a ship. A First Order ship. 

Poe and Ava stepped onto the balcony and they couldn't believe their eyes. The ship then dropped two cube-like objects into the city, causing explosions that destroyed the area of landing. Soon, a missile was fired at the Cloud City palace. Finn then felt his heart sink.  
"No." he said under his breath in disbelief.


	41. Attack on Cloud City

"We've got to get to the palace! Now!" Finn said as he hurried back into the suite and grabbed his lightsaber.   
"The palace is a mile away! How are we gonna get there in time?" Poe asked.   
Finn then looked out the window and saw two pods parked outside the hotel.   
"We'll take those." he suggested. 

Finn and Poe then started to get ready to leave. Ava grabbed her stuff and looked at them.   
"I'm going to get the ship Rey and I came here in." she began. "It's parked not too far from here. Rey, you coming?"  
Rey then turned to Finn and looked into his eyes.

"I'm coming with you." she said.  
Finn then worried about her.  
"Rey. You need to go with her. She'll get you out of this city." he began. "Plus, you're trying to stay hidden. What if someone sees you?"   
"That's a chance I'm willing to take." Rey began. "My father and your father are in that palace. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to save them." 

 

At the palace, areas of the ceiling were caving in and the staff rushed all around the halls. Luke then quickly approached Lando.   
"Where's Finn and Poe? Chewie has the Falcon ready outside to leave." Luke said.   
"They....they aren't here." Lando admitted.  
"WHAT!" Luke yelled. 

Luke then angrily stormed down the hall to the room Finn had stayed in. The doors were locked, so he used the force to bust them open. He then stepped in the room and saw Finn was no where to be found. Luke turned around and saw Lando standing behind him.  
"Where are they?" he asked angrily.

 

Deep within Cloud City, Finn and Rey were on a pod and Poe was driving his own as they sped down the streets to the palace. The First Order ship soon released hundreds of Stormtroopers into the city. Rey grabbed a blaster out of her bag and began shooting some down. 

For some reason, it seemed as if the Stormtroopers were all trying to follow them rather than destroy the city.   
"Why is it that they're all just after us?" Poe asked from the other pod.  
Finn then thought about what technology the First Order had before he left them. He couldn't believe they managed to finish creating a program they'd been working on for some time.  
"They're only targeting Force users." he said.

"How is that possible? How can they tell if someone has the Force?" Rey asked.  
"They must've finished the program after getting samples of my DNA that were still on record long after I left the First Order." Finn explained. 

Suddenly a huge crowd of Stormtroopers began shooting at them, but Rey managed to do something quite spectacular. She froze about twenty of the blasts in thin air. Finn and Poe were shocked she was able to do that. 

"Where did you learn that from?" Finn asked.  
Rey was just in shock as they were.   
"I didn't learn it....that wasn't entirely me." she explained then glanced at her stomach for a second.   
It was clear that the power within her had gotten much stronger. 

 

In another area of the city, Ava was on her way to her ship until she came across some Stormtroopers. They all held guns at her and she kept her hands where they could see them.

"Hey boys. What brings you here?" she asked nonchalantly.   
"Nyla Ren. You are under arrest. General Hux has requested he see you." a Stormtrooper said.  
"And just what crime did I commit? What are the charges?" she asked.  
"You're under arrest for assisting the enemy and betraying the First Order." the Stormtrooper said.

"Helping the enemy?" Ava began sarcastically. "Did Hux mention to you who I was accused of helping?"  
"Well....no....he didn't actually." the Stormtrooper said.  
"Then there's no reason to arrest me if there is no proof." Ava said as she put her hands down.

Suddenly another Stormtrooper broke from the crowd.  
"Enough of this foolishness! She's just trying to mislead us!" he yelled. "Nyla Ren. You're nothing more than a traitor to the First Order!" 

Ava then slightly grinned as she slowly moved her right hand to her hip.   
"A traitor? Oh, PT-48....You just know me so well." she said.  
Suddenly Ava pulled out her lightsaber and began to fight them all. 

 

At the palace, Luke was still angry with Lando.   
"How could you let this happen?" Luke asked angrily.  
"It's not like I told him to leave." Lando answered.  
Luke then gave him a look.  
"Do you realize the kind of danger he could bring?" he began. "He's not stable yet! I should've brought him back to the island as soon as that incident happened yesterday."   
"Listen, Luke." Lando began. "I have faith in my son. Poe does too....Why can't you?" 

 

In another part of the palace, Finn, Rey and Poe arrived and searched the halls.   
"Master Luke!" Finn yelled.  
He could hear his voice echo through the halls.   
"Are they still here?" Rey asked.   
"They've got to be. The Falcon's outside." Poe answered. 

The three of them continued to look and soon met up with R2D2. He then beeped at them as he moved toward them.  
"What did he say?" Finn asked.  
"He told us to get out of here and follow him to the Falcon." Poe answered.   
Rey then looked at R2.  
"We can't. Not without my father and Mr. Calrissian." she began as she knelt down and removed her hood. "Don't worry. It's me."   
R2 then couldn't believe it was actually Rey who stood before him. 

Suddenly some Stormtroopers appeared a few feet behind R2 and the gang got ready to attack them, but someone had beat them to it. The three of them turned around and smiled when they saw Chewie with his crossbow. He roared and approached Finn and Rey to give them a hug. Chewie looked at Rey and made a subtle roar.  
"Yeah. I missed you too." she said warmly. 

 

Poe noticed a clear path and suggested that they all search that way to find Luke and Lando. Suddenly, the palace was hit again with another missile causing everything to shake. Some debris from the ceiling collapsed separating  Rey from everyone else.   
"REY!" Finn shouted. "Please be ok."   
"I'm fine!" Rey shouted back from the other side of the ruble. "Just keep looking for them! I'll find you!" 

It was hard for Finn to be separated from Rey again. Poe then placed his hand on his shoulder.   
"C'mon. She'll be ok." Poe reassured him.   
The group then continued to look for them as Rey searched another direction. 

 

In the city, Ava was still fighting off the First Order as she got closer to her ship. She used her lightsaber to block and repel blasts that came at her. Soon, she was able to get into her ship and sit in the pilot's seat.

"It's going to be hard flying this thing when I'm usually the copilot." she said as she adjusted the controls.   
Moments later, she was off the ground and into the sky. Some Tie Fighters began shooting at her, but she shot back and took them down. 

 

In the palace, Rey continued to look around the debris.   
"Luke!" she heard a voice say from around a corner.   
Rey followed the voice and ran into a man when she turned the corner. The man then gave her an alarmed look.  
"Sweetheart, what are you doing in this palace? All citizens of Cloud City were authorized to go to the safety chambers beneath the city." he said as he walked with her. 

Rey then looked at the man.   
"I'm not a citizen of Cloud City." she began. "Are you Mr. Calrissian? Finn's father?"   
The man then took a step back away from her and looked at her in disbelief.  
"Rey?" she managed to say. "I've heard so much about you, but....I thought...."  
"That I was dead." Rey interrupted him. 

She then stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't believe she had just met Finn's father.  
"Don't worry." she began. "Finn knows I'm alive as well. That's why he didn't return to you last night when he was supposed to."

"My son thinks everything of you." Lando began. "He truly loves you....Are you still with child?"   
"Children....Twins to be exact." Rey managed to say as a tear fell down her face. "But he doesn't know that yet."   
Lando then smiled and gave Rey a hug. He knew how much his son loved her and he was going to do whatever it takes to make sure she's safe. 


	42. For Happiness

Finn and the others continued to search for Luke and Lando, but still no luck. The palace was still getting attacked Poe looked at his friend.  
"If we stay here any longer, we won't make it." he began. "Let's just go get Rey and get out of here."  
Finn worried for his father and Luke, but realized Poe was right.   
"Ok." he said as the group went back to find Rey. 

 

In another area of the palace, Luke made his way though the rubble and looked for Lando. He had to hurry and find him so they could leave on the Falcon. Luke was still upset with him and wondered why he and Poe let Finn leave. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down, Luke had a hard time trusting Finn. It seemed as though everyone else trusted him, but as for Luke, he wasn't sure if Finn was ready to save the galaxy yet.

 

Rey hurried through the palace with Lando as it was being destroyed.  
"They should be close by." Rey began. "I got separated from them when this wall caved in."  
"Did you see your father by any chance?" Lando asked.   
"No...." Rey began as she thought about Luke. "I haven't, unfortunately." 

Suddenly, three Stormtroopers appeared and started shooting at them. Lando and Rey hid for cover and used their blasters to shoot at them. Rey then noticed a broken pole on the ground near her and smiled. It reminded her of her staff she once had. 

Within the next second, Rey grabbed the pole and charged at the Stormtroopers.   
"Rey! What are you doing?" Lando asked as he worried for her.  
Rey then fought off the Stormtroopers with ease. She dodged all of their attacks and knocked them over. Rey then turned around and looked at Lando.  
"It's been a while since I fought like that." she said with a smile.

Lando could not believe what he just saw. He'd heard a lot about Rey, but after seeing her fight in person shocked him. At that moment, he realized how much she was like his wife. He smiled, realizing his son had clearly picked a keeper. 

 

Finn, Poe, Chewie and R2 continued to look for Rey, but some Stormtroopers started to attack them. Chewie used his crossbow to take them out and quickly looked at Finn. He roared at them and gestured them to keep going. Finn and Poe listened to Chewie and continued to make their way through the palace. 

Suddenly, they could hear Rey's voice.  
"Finn!" she yelled.   
The two of them followed the sound of her voice and eventually found her, but a huge hole in the floor separated them.   
"Are you ok?" Finn yelled from the other side.  
"I'm fine!" Rey began. "And guess who I found?"  
Lando then appeared beside her and smiled at his son. 

Finn smiled back realizing the two of them were ok.   
"Where's Master Luke?" he asked.   
"We don't know!" Rey began. "We hoped you guys found him!" 

Poe looked at the huge hole in the floor.  
"We've got to find a way across." he said.   
As he tried think of and idea, more Stormtroopers appeared on Rey and Lando's side.   
"Look out!" Finn yelled at them. 

Rey and Lando fought most of them off, but suddenly Rey got hit in the back and fell down.   
"REY!" Finn yelled.   
Rey reached her arm out to grab her blaster, but was too hurt to move. The Stormtrooper held a huge weapon in his hand, then got closer to her and prepared to finish her, but just when he had a clear shot, Lando stepped in the way and took the hit. 

Poe, Finn and Rey could not believe what they just witnessed. After the shot, Lando looked at his son and collapsed to the ground. Tears ran down Rey's face as she watched this happen. 

"NO!" Finn yelled as he felt his heart sink.  
He took a few steps back away from the hole and closed his eyes for a second. He used that moment to channel with the force. It moved through his veins and within the next second, he opened his eyes and quickly charged toward the edge.

"Finn! What are you doing?" Poe yelled.  
Finn then leaped a giant leap across the hole and made it to the other side. He then pulled out his lightsaber and slaughtered every Stormtrooper that stood in his way, showing no mercy whatsoever. 

Rey and Poe had never seen such a violent side of Finn before. Rey seemed the most shocked at this. She wanted to say something to him, but didn't know if she should at that moment.

After defeating them all, Finn approached the one that shot his father and turned off his lightsaber. He quickly knocked him down and placed his hands on the Stormtrooper's helmet. Rey and Poe were in shock, realizing what Finn was about to do.   
"Finn! No!" Rey yelled.  
Finn then snapped the Stormtrooper's neck. 

Rey and Poe could not believe what they just saw. Finn then stood up and turned around, catching his breath,  made his way towards his father and knelt down beside him. 

"Forgive me." Lando began. "I couldn't just let them hurt her....She makes you happy....That's all I want for you, my son....to be happy."   
Finn fought back tears as he looked at him.  
"Take the chain that's around my neck." Lando told him.   
Finn then removed the chain and noticed a ring on it.  
"I gave that to your mother years ago....After she died, I wore that everyday around my neck to keep her close to my heart....Take it and give it to Rey when the time is right....she reminds me so much of your mother, I have no doubt that she'll make you happy." 

Finn then placed the ring in his pocket. He continued to fight back tears.   
"I love you, Dad." he managed to say.  
Lando then smiled at him.  
"I've waited so long to hear you say that....I love you too." he said to him.  
Within the next second, he died in his son's arms. 

Finn for some reason, wouldn't allow himself to cry. It all happened so fast, he didn't know what to think of it all. Rey then stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She could see that Finn was an emotional wreck and gave him a peck on the cheek as she tried to comfort him. 

 

Outside, the First Order ship had gotten closer to the palace and began shooting bigger missiles. The entire building started to collapse and Finn looked at Rey.   
"Finn." Rey began softly. "We have to go."   
They both stood up and Finn looked at his father one last time.   
"Ok." he managed to say. 

Poe was still on the other side and wondered how they could meet up.  
"What's the plan?" he asked.   
Rey looked around and noticed a huge pillar on their side. She told Finn about it and the two of them used the force to place it over the hole so Poe could cross. As Poe tried to walk on it, the building continued to shake and he almost lost his balance. When he finally made it across, the three of them ran down the hall and came to a dead end. 

The rest of the hall was gone and it was a clear drop into the city. The three of them looked down and didn't know how they could get out, but suddenly they saw Ava fly her ship near them. 

Ava placed the controls for the ship to stay in place and let down the door so they could get in. Finn and Poe took a seat inside and Rey made her way to the pilot's seat.   
"Whoa." Ava began. "I was gonna see if I could pilot and let Mr. X-Wing over there co-pilot with me. You don't need to be flying a ship right now." 

Rey rolled her eyes and walked past her.   
"Oh please, Ava." she began. "I can still fly a ship. I'm pregnant, not helpless!"   
Rey then adjusted the controls and prepared to fly. Within the next second, the ship took off. 

 

General Hux was still inside the First Order ship and watched as they got away. He then looked over to the palace landing grounds and noticed the Millennium Falcon taking off too. Suddenly, an Admiral approached him. 

"Sir. I'm sorry to inform you that we've failed our mission." he said.  
"We didn't fail our mission. This is only the beginning and we are at an advantage." Hux began. "Contact Supreme Leader Snoke for me and tell him that I ask permission to have a word with Kylo Ren....I need to inform him that I know of his treacherous accomplice, Nyla Ren and that this would be an appropriate time for him to give up and let us know of his plan."

"With all due respect Sir," the Admiral began. "But what makes you think knowing about Nyla Ren betraying us will make Kylo Ren give up? Despite all we've put him through, he just hasn't cracked. I don't think he ever will."   
General Hux then gave the Admiral a look. "I'm certain he will finally lose all hope considering that we currently posses the last remaining "hope"  in the galaxy....We've captured his uncle." he said.


	43. Finn's fate

Later that day, Rey was still flying the ship. They had been traveling through space for quite sometime and she constantly thought about Finn. She looked over at Ava, who was her co-pilot and asked if she could take over while she took a break. 

Rey then stood up and began making her way to the back of the ship. She looked to her right and noticed Poe was sitting down. As they made eye contact, Poe knew exactly what Rey wanted to talk to Finn about. It wasn't that long ago that the two of them witnessed a whole different side of Finn and neither one of them had had the courage to ask him about it. 

 

Rey continued walking until she opened a door and entered a small bunker where Finn sat alone.   
"Finn." she began as she stood in the doorway. "I....I know we just went through a lot today and I can sense that you've taken everything pretty hard....you want to talk?" 

"I'm fine Rey." Finn lied. "I just,....I kinda want to be alone right now. You know, take some time to get my head straight." 

Rey could easily see that he was a tormented soul and felt so much empathy for him. What bothered her the most, was that Finn didn't seem like he had cried a single tear. For some reason, he was holding all of his emotions inside and that wasn't good for him.

"Ok, well...." she began softly. "You can always come to me if you need to talk....I'm here for you, Finn....I love you."  
"I know." Finn answered as he continued to not make eye contact with her. 

Within the next moment, Rey closed the door and headed back to the front of the ship. She saw Poe and took a seat beside him. Poe looked at her and noticed she was about to cry.  
"Whoa, Rey! Are you ok? What happened back there?" he asked. 

 

"He didn't want to talk to me." Rey began. "I know he must be torn apart inside. But I've noticed a difference in him lately....I'm scared for him, Poe."   
Poe then placed his arm around her for comfort. 

"I'm worried about him too." he added.  
Rey then looked at him.  
"What's happened to him these past two months?" she asked.

Poe really didn't want to be the one to tell her, but seeing as she wasn't getting anywhere with Finn, he figured he might as well explain everything. She deserved to know.

 

"After Endel, Finn went to train with Luke." he began. "I didn't see him for two months either, but when General Leia sent me to find him to defeat Snoke, Luke explained to me that even though Finn had learned fast with his Jedi training, something was going on with him internally....It wasn't until we first got to Cloud City, that I began to see that side of Finn. He randomly went out of control and almost hurt innocent people."

Rey wiped a tear from her eye as she continued to listen. She couldn't believe that this had happened.

We eventually caught him and brought him to the palace." Poe continued. "Luke then spoke with Lando and I about why he didn't think Finn was ready....Ever since his first day of Jedi training, Finn has been on a bloodthirsty hunt for revenge against the First Order. He could never forgive himself for what happened on Endel. That was when he lost you and any hope he had for a better future."

"But he's found me now. Why hasn't he changed?" Rey asked.  
"I'm guessing that his behavior triggered again after what happened to Lando." Poe began. "He just watched his father die in front of him and not to mention that he wasn't as close with him as he should've been. He turned down living in Cloud City so he could train with Luke....Lando was all he had left of his life before the First Order."

"Do you think that if we give him some space, he'll be better again?" Rey asked.  
"I don't think it's gonna be that easy." Poe began. "When Luke talked to Lando and I that day, he mentioned that he'd seen behavior like this before from his nephew and that it also had something to do with the force....Rey, Finn may not realize it yet....but he's currently on a path to the Dark Side."

 

Rey didn't want to believe it.  
"No! He can't be! Finn's still good! He loves me!" she argued.   
"I didn't want to believe it either and I still had faith in him despite Luke's warning. That's why I gave Finn the Elara stone, but after witnessing what he did today, I'm starting to realize that giving him that stone was a mistake. Luke was right. He's not ready for that power." Poe said.

"What do you suggest we do?" Rey asked.  
"I'm going to have to take it away from him." Poe answered.


	44. Rise of the First Order

On the First Order ship, Kylo Ren was getting beaten by a group of Stormtroopers. He couldn't fight back because his hands were restrained and if he used the force, he'd get severely shocked. He had gotten weak from being starved and beaten everyday. They wanted information from him, but he refused to tell them no matter what they did to him. 

 

General Hux entered the room and watched him get beaten a little bit more before commanding them to stop. He then stepped closer to Kylo Ren.   
"I'm still not telling you anything." Kylo managed to say. 

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Hux began. "But you should know that earlier today when we attacked Cloud City, we ran into Nyla Ren. We have reason to believe that she's part of your plan and all we can do now, is eliminate her." 

"You can't stop her." Kylo began. "She's the only other Knight of Ren who ever came close to my power."   
"That's where you're wrong." Hux began. "I strongly believe that she can easily be defeated....I should've known she'd turn against us. Her great-grandfather was a Jedi,....It's in her blood....You of all people should know how simple it would be to eliminate her. After all, Anakin did kill Windu....Killing her would be no different." 

Kylo then grew angry and wanted to attack him, but got shocked by his restraints. Hux then grew a sly smile.   
"You're in love with her." he said.  
"I'm not." Kylo began. "She means nothing to me."   
"I'll be sure to remember that when we bring her to you." Hux began. "I can't guarantee you she'll be alive when you see her." 

Just the thought of Ava being dead, made Kylo feel uneasy, but he remained strong.  
"No matter what you do to her, I'm still not telling you anything." he said.

 

Hux then opened a metal box and took out a gun with a needle on the end. He then pointed to a vile of liquid that was attached to it.  
"Are you aware of what this is?" Hux asked him.

Kylo had no idea what it was.  
"This." Hux began. "Is what's going to make ruling the galaxy a lot easier for Snoke. With one injection, we can kill any Midi-Chlorians in one's DNA, thus paralyzing one with their connection to the Force." 

Kylo couldn't believe that the First Order even came up with such a device.   
"We tested the substance with samples of your DNA as well as the DNA of FN-2187....We also managed to use your DNA to create a tracking device that finds those with the Force....It's looks as though you two traitors had some use to us after all." 

Kylo looked at the device in Hux's hand and highly doubted it could take away someone's connection to the Force. The idea itself seemed impossible.   
"You can't take the Force away from someone!" he began. "Say what you want, but I don't believe it will work!" 

Hux then grew a sly grin.   
"Trust me. I know it works." he said.  
"What are you gonna do? Try it out on me?" Kylo began. "Go right ahead! I've got nothing to lose!" 

"I know it works because we've already tested it." Hux said.  
Within the next second, two Stormtroopers brought in a man who looked as though he'd clearly been beaten. Kylo got a good look at him and realized it was Luke.

 

He was speechless at what he was seeing. The great, powerful and wise Jedi master, Luke Skywalker was no more. A Stormtrooper then hit Luke in the gut and placed him in Kylo's cell. Kylo then got locked up with him.

"You still think there's hope in the galaxy?" Hux began. "I just took away the last hope."   
Soon, Hux and the Stormtroopers had left. Kylo quickly made his way over to Luke and knelt down beside him.   
"Uncle." he began in a worried tone. "Uncle Luke."

Luke then opened his eyes and saw his nephew at his side.  
"Tell me...." he managed to say. "Is my daughter alive?"   
"Yes." Kylo answered. 


	45. The Meltdown

After flying though space for hours, Rey was soon about to approach Nilar, the planet that was home to Snoke's castle. As the ship came closer to the planet's atmosphere, she adjusted the controls, preparing to land quickly without being detected or seen. 

"Hold on! This going to be pretty sudden!" she warned everyone.  
With one shift of the lever, the entire ship moved at the speed of light and suddenly landed in a forest, knocking over trees as it slid across the ground before it finally came to a complete stop.

 

Poe then got out of the ship, looked at the tall trees around him and took out a gadget to enter the coordinates for Snoke's castle.   
"It says we're about five miles away." he began. "Let me contact the Resistance first."   
Poe then took a moment to walk away from the ship as he made a call. 

Ava was standing beside Rey and gave her a look.   
"He's getting the Resistance?" she began angrily. "This was not part of the plan. You said that Ben told you to get me to bring you here so we can find him and defeat Snoke on our own."

"That was before we crossed paths with Finn and Poe." Rey began. "Trust me. The more people we have to take down Snoke, the better."  
"Rey. This is a plan two months in the making. Do we really want change everything up last minute?" Ava argued.   
"We'll be fine....I'm sure of it." Rey reassured her. 

 

Poe was standing a few feet away and talking with Leia through his device.   
"I'm sorry to say General, but Cloud City has fallen. We barely made it out." Poe told her.  
"Where's Luke?" she began. "I knew I was able to sense he was in danger."   
"We aren't aware of his whereabouts, but I assume he made it out ok because we saw the Falcon leave with Chewbacca and R2. He may have been on board and I do believe they may be planning to meet up with you."

"And Lando? Is he with Luke?" Leia asked.  
Poe knew that question was coming and he'd have a hard time telling her.  
"General." he began. "Lando didn't make it....He was shot down by a Stormtrooper."

Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Lando was a good friend of hers for many years and she knew she'd miss him terribly, but she was also concerned for Finn.   
"You said you arrived with Finn." she began. "How's he taking all of this? Did you give him the Elara stone like I instructed you to do?" 

Poe felt that it would be best if he informed Leia about how Finn's been recently and that they should probably rethink who should have the stone when defeating Snoke.   
"General." he began. "I gave him the Elara stone, but there's something you should know." 

Suddenly Leia had numerous Resistance members around her, reminding her of  some issues that needed to be handled.   
"Dameron, I'm going to have to take care of a few things." she began. "You and Finn stay where you are and send me coordinates for Snoke's castle. We'll meet you as soon as we can."   
The call soon ended and Poe sighed realizing he didn't get to tell her about Finn's issue. 

 

That night, Rey and Ava sat outside the ship while Poe sat inside and Finn got some rest. Everything was dead silent and Poe thought about how he would get the Elara stone without Finn noticing. He looked over and saw Finn was asleep and decided this would be the perfect time. 

Poe quietly went over to Finn and carefully reached his hand into Finn's jacket pocket. He tried to do this as calmly as possible. Poe then felt the stone in his hand and started to slowly move his hand out of the pocket, but then Finn woke up. 

Poe quickly placed his hand at his side with the stone in his hand. Finn looked confused and sat up as he checked his jacket.   
"Poe. What are you doing?" he asked.  
Finn then realized the stone was missing from his pocket. Poe got worried and didn't know what he would think.

"Very funny, Poe." Finn began with a laugh. "You trying to prank me? Every time you play a joke on me, you know I always come up with something better."   
Finn then reached out his hand with a grin.  
"C'mon." he began. "Joke's over. I caught you. Give it back." 

As Poe looked at his friend, he felt deeply conflicted and slightly guilty. This was his best friend and they had so many great memories, but deep down he realized that he had a duty to the galaxy and doing this seemed as if it was for the best. Even if it meant sacrificing his friendship. 

"I'm not....giving it back." Poe said.   
Finn then looked confused and wondered what was wrong with his friend.   
"Why?" he asked.  
"Because I need to protect the galaxy. It's for the best." Poe answered.  
"I thought you said I was supposed to have the stone?" Finn began. "You gave it to me. General Leia ordered you to. What would make you defy her order?" 

"You, Finn." Poe began. "It's nothing personal, but I've noticed a change in you lately....Luke told me about...."  
"So you don't think I have what it takes to defeat Snoke?" Finn interrupted him angrily.   
Poe was silent.  
"Poe! Give me the stone! I know what I'm doing!" Finn began. "I know Luke didn't trust me, but I figured you....my best friend would. Don't you trust me?"   
The two of them continued to stare at each other without a single blink.  
"I'm sorry Finn." Poe began sternly. "I don't." 

 

Within the next second, Finn hit Poe and the two were soon fighting. Poe got up and knocked Finn off of him, but then got tackled and they fell to the ground. Finn reached for his lightsaber at his hip, but Poe knocked it out of his hand before he could turn it on. He then hit Finn pretty hard in the mouth causing him to get even more angry and fight harder. 

Rey and Ava could hear them from outside and quickly hurried into the ship.   
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING? STOP IT!" Rey yelled.   
The two of them ignored her and continued fighting. Finn then used the force to summon his lightsaber to his hand and turned it on. Just when he was about to attack Poe, his blade got blocked by Ava's lightsaber blade.

"That's pretty cowardly. Attacking a non-force user with a saber. Why don't you fight someone in your league?" Ava said.   
The two then started dueling and caused major damage to the ship as they did. 

"Finn! Why are you acting like this?" Rey yelled as Finn fought Ava.   
"Poe tried taking the Elara stone from me!" Finn began. "He doesn't trust me! He doesn't think I'm capable!"   
"Finn, he's not the only one thinking that." Rey admitted. 

 

Finn then stopped fighting Ava, turned off his lightsaber and looked at Rey.   
"What did you say?" he asked.  
"We're all worried for you Finn." Rey began. "I know, that losing me must've caused some emotional stress for you and now, with your father....you have every right to be upset, but you can't live your life seeking revenge or you'll never be happy." 

"Happy?" Finn began angrily. "You don't know what it's like to be me! Everything has always come so easy to you! You don't know what it's like being told all your life that you're never good enough at anything and constantly failing at everything you do!....Even as a Stormtrooper, I couldn't do anything right. That why I got a low ranking job!....When I saved you from Starkiller, I got beat too easily and you ended up saving me!....Back on Endel when the dam broke, I blamed myself for all that happened!....Yesterday, I watched my father die in front of me! I'm even terrible at being a son!" 

Rey then started to tear up and she truly felt bad for him. She never realized he had all of this built up inside him.  
"So don't you tell me anything about being happy!" Finn began. "Any chance of happiness for me was gone long ago....Now, for once in my life I get a chance to be good at something and not fail everyone. I get to be a Jedi and I'm given a chance to save the galaxy, but no one believes I can do it." 

Rey wiped a tear from her eye after he finished his rant.  
"I wish you would've told me about how you really felt when I wanted to talk." she said.  
"What was I supposed to say, Rey?" Finn began. "What would be the point?"   
Rey then began to get slightly angry with him.

"I figured at least I could help!" she snapped.  
"Why would I just decide to share this with you when I didn't feel like it?" Finn asked.  
"We're supposed to talk about these things with each other!" Rey began. "That's what you do when you love someone!" 

"You know what else you're supposed to do when you love someone?" Finn began. "Trust them! You just basically said you don't trust me. Why would I tell you everything if I can't trust that you will do the same? You didn't even tell me you were still alive! I had to find you!"  
Rey then started to feel bad about keeping secrets from Finn and felt that this was the time to just let go of everything.

"Finn." she began softly. "I think you should know what I've been keeping from you....we're having twins." 

 

Finn was shocked to hear her say that and didn't know how to feel.   
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Rey began softly as she walked towards him. "I wanted it to be a surprise....but don't worry I know we can get through this together." 

Finn then slowly backed away in shock. He started to think about his actions lately and how everyone doubted him. Not to mention the fact he was now not going to be the father of one, but two children. As Rey stepped closer to him, she could see that he wasn't ok.   
"Finn." Rey began. "Are you....?"  
Within the next second, Finn ran out of the ship. Everyone followed him outside, but he escaped deep into the forest. Rey worried for him as he ran. 

 

Later that night, Finn sat under a tree and looked to the sky as rain began to sprinkle. Finn thought about all that he's been through the past few days and how everyone didn't have faith in him. He figured that if everyone doubted him, why would he not doubt himself as well. Finn thought about how he wanted so bad to show everyone that he was capable of succeeding, but failed every single time. He came to the conclusion that someone like him wouldn't have what it takes to save galaxy and be a Jedi, much less a father of two children. 

At that moment he realized why there was a Jedi Code in the first place. Not just to rid your life of personal attachments, but to also free yourself from more people your actions may affect....or disappoint. Finn looked at the ring his father gave him in one hand and then looked at the lightsaber he held in the other hand. How could it be possible he succeed at two such important tasks? Within the next moment Finn finally allowed himself to do something he's struggled with lately....cry.  
 


	46. It All Makes Sense

Poe and Ava noticed Rey was packing a small bag.   
"Where are you going?" Ava asked.  
"I'm going after Finn....He needs me now more than ever." Rey answered.

"Rey." Poe began. "I get that you care about him a lot, I do too....but let's face the facts here,....I don't think you're getting anywhere with him. You saw what he almost did to me. He's become a monster!....It's only a matter of time before he goes full Dark...."  
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Rey interrupted him. 

"He's not going to the Dark Side!....Not while I'm still in his life." she murmured.   
"Uh, Rey." Ava began. "I think it's pretty safe to say that the moment he ran out of here, was when he just gave up on everything in his life....including you." 

"From the moment I met him, he wouldn't give up on me." Rey began. "Why would he start now?"   
As Poe and Ava looked at Rey, they realized she had a point. 

"He's just under a lot of pressure and stress right now." Rey explained.  
"I've known plenty of people who have been pressured and stressed, but they never did stuff like that." Ava began. "That's the work of the Dark Side of the force. I've never seen anything like this happen though." 

Rey though about what Ava said and realized something. It all made sense.  
"I think I know why this is happening." she said in a shocked tone.   
Poe and Ava grew curious and Rey took a seat in front of them to explain.

 

"Listen." she began. "I myself have felt a pull to the Dark Side. Twice actually....The first time was minor. It was when I fought my cousin on Starkiller after he hurt Finn....There was this voice in my head that wanted me to kill Ben after I defeated him in the duel, but something told me not to....the second time I felt a pull to the Dark Side, was when I was at the First Order base on Endel and they took me to be 'reconditioned', so I was brainwashed and they had me fight Finn until he managed to bring me back to the Light Side." 

"Who had you brainwashed?" Poe asked.  
"It was Snoke." Rey began. "Come to think of it,....It was his voice I heard on Starkiller too." 

"So, why do you think Snoke wanted you to join the Dark Side?" Ava asked.  
"The first time was because he knew of my power." Rey began. "The second time was when he learned I was pregnant and he wanted my kids to join the Dark Side, but Snoke eventually failed at his attempts both times....He wanted a Skywalker to join the Dark Side so badly." 

 

Ava then realized something.  
"Wait?" she began. "Didn't Anakin go through something similar? I mean his transition to the Dark Side anyway....What caused him to turn?

"My father told me of this Sith Lord named Palpatine." Rey began. "He manipulated my grandfather into becoming evil, but....my father told me that my grandfather killed Palpatine when he was redeemed....What would that have to do with everything going on now?" 

"Unless, somehow Palpatine survived." Poe suggested.   
Rey and Ava weren't sure where he was going with this. 

 

"Think about it." he began. "Palpatine probably thought of Darth Vader as a failure because he eventually went to the Light Side....So, if he were still alive, he'd try to see if he could redo what he failed at by convincing your cousin, Kylo Ren to the Dark Side....When he started to give up on Kylo, he tried going after you, but like you said, it didn't work for you....So now, he may be trying to go after Finn." 

"But Finn's not a Skywalker." Ava said.  
"Doesn't matter....He's force sensitive and not only that, but he's Obi-Wan's grandson....Wouldn't it make sense for him to try to manipulate Finn considering all the stress he's been through....He could use that as an advantage and mess with his emotions."

"Like Anakin." Rey said in realization.  
"Exactly." Poe began. "Even though he failed with Anakin, he did manage to keep him on the Dark Side for the longest out of anyone....He chose to get to Finn because he feels that his life is very similar to Anakin's....Everything thats happened so far has been part of his big plan. He wants history to repeat itself, which means...."

"He knows I'm alive." Rey said in a soft, shocked tone.   
After she said that, Ava and Poe looked at her in shock. Rey then glanced at her stomach and gently placed a hand over it. It all made sense.  
"We can't let history repeat itself." she said.


	47. Farewell to Kylo Ren

Hux's First Order ship arrived on Nilar and landed near Snoke's castle. Kylo Ren and Luke were still handcuffed and being escorted off the ship. Luke looked in shock at Snoke's castle. It was quite massive yet very dark and brooding. There was a moat of flowing lava around the castle and a volcano in the distance. 

He then looked over at his nephew who seemed as though he had lost all hope. It was obvious that Kylo had been there before, just he hoped not to return there. 

The two were escorted inside the castle and placed into individual cells across from one another. Their cells were cold, damp and dark. Kylo turned his head and noticed a skeleton in the cell near his. He then looked up and made eye contact with his uncle. At that moment, he could never forgive himself for what happened to Luke. 

 

Within the next second, General Hux appeared before them.   
"You will both remain here until Snoke requests your presence....I have a feeling he has something quite interesting planned for the two of you." he said.

Kylo then felt as if his heart had sunk. Hux gave them both a cold look and soon left the area with the Stormtroopers. Kylo then looked at his uncle once again.  
"I'm deeply sorry, Uncle." he said sincerely.  
"Did they take your abilities too?" Luke asked.  
"No." Kylo began. "But I feel as though my time will come soon."

 

"Then why haven't you used the force to escape?" Luke asked.  
"The restraints on my wrists will severely shock me if I use the force." Kylo explained.  
"I wouldn't have let that stop me if I were you." Luke responded.  
"What do you mean?" Kylo asked.

"You remember years ago at the Jedi academy?" Luke began. "I also taught you all skills to benefit yourseleves without using the force....I taught you to make the most of your surroundings."

 

Kylo then calmed himself and closed his eyes for a moment. There was a long silence and soon, he opened his eyes. Kylo took into account what he said and then started to look around. He soon noticed a torch on the wall in his cell and slowly approached it. Kylo watched as the flames flickered before him and carefully grabbed the torch off the wall. 

He then walked to the edge of his cell door and noticed the code panel for the lock. Then, Kylo carefully placed the torch near the panel, burning a hole through the code box. As the hole burned through, an orange color power acid leaked from the panel and onto the floor.  He then placed the torch back onto the wall. 

Kylo then made eye contact with Luke again and his Uncle gave a nod in agreement. They watched as the acid dripped to the floor and Kylo placed his restraints underneath it, so it could burn through them. To his delight, the plan worked, but he ended up getting some acid burning his skin.

He wanted to yell from the pain, but tried to contain it. Seconds later, the restraints broke off of his wrists and he was free. Kylo looked at Luke in amazement and smiled. 

"I just....wow!" he said in shock.  
"Being a Jedi isn't just about being a skilled fighter,....It also means being able to make the most of what you're given, even when it's not much." Luke said to him. 

 

Kylo then took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more. This time, so he could reconnect with the force. It had been so long since he was able to use the force and now he needed it more than ever. 

He was soon able to feel the presence of the force move rapidly through his veins. It had never left him. It was always with him. Kylo then opened his eyes and took a step back from the cell door. 

He placed his open hand in the direction of the door and then closed his hand into a fist. As he did this, the cell door crumpled off the hinges and crushed itself. Within the next second, an alarm went off and it was only a matter of time before some Stormtroopers arrived. Kylo then made a swift movement with his hand, causing the crumpled door to be knocked to the side. 

Kylo then stepped into the hall and faced Luke's cell.   
"Let me get you out!" he said to his uncle.  
But soon, many Stormtroopers showed up and began shooting at him. Kylo dodged the blasts and looked at Luke. 

"I'm not leaving without you!" he said.   
"You can come back for me!" Luke began. "I can handle myself!"   
Luke then grabbed his green lightsaber off his hip and handed it to Kylo through the bars.   
"Take this and find Rey!" Luke said.   
Kylo took the saber in his hand and looked at his uncle one last time before escaping down the hall. 

 

Kylo continued to hurry down the hall and turned a corner. When he did, he entered a room with monitors. On the monitors was a radar showing what was in the sky near their area. He noticed that Resistance ships had just arrived on the planet. 

"You can do what you can, but you won't be able to stop the First Order." a voice said from behind him.  
Kylo turned around and saw an Admiral with about twenty Stormtroopers aiming their weapons.  
"General Hux has already ordered an air strike on the Resistance, including your mother." the Admiral began. "The General was right about you. You're weak and pathetic now. You're not the man you used to be. The once great Kylo Ren is no more." 

Kylo carefully held his hand on the lightsaber and waited for a Stormtrooper to make the first shot. When he sensed one prepare to pull the trigger, he quickly turned on the lightsaber. The bright green blade reflected on his face. 

As the Stormtroopers shot at him, he deflected the blasts and used the force to fight them all quickly, but skillfully. After defeating them all, he used the force to choke the Admiral.  
"You're right, the once great and powerful Kylo Ren is no more." he said as he continued to force choke him.

He then finished him off and watched his body collapse to the ground.  
"But, I've become something much greater." he began as he turned off the lightsaber blade. "I'm Ben Solo."


	48. Battle in the Skies

Rey stepped outside of the ship and turned to look at Poe.   
"I won't be long." she began. "I just need to find Finn. He's not too far away. I can sense it."   
Ava then stood in the doorway of the ship.   
"Maybe then, you two can talk about all of this." she began. "And to think I thought I had relationship issues." 

Poe then gave Ava a look and grinned a little.  
"You have relationship issues?" he began as he moved closer to her. "I would never put anyone through that....You know, I've been looking for my better half for quite sometime."  
"Well, you need to keep looking because I don't see anyone who fits that description here." Ava responded.   
Poe then rolled his eyes and moved away from her. It was obvious he wasn't getting anywhere with her. After all, she's taken anyways.

Rey shook her head and smiled a little at them. She then started to walk into the forest.  
"I'll be back, you guys." she said. 

 

As Rey walked further into the forest, she started to wonder what she would say to Finn when she found him. She understood that he was going through a lot and that not all of his actions lately weren't entirely his own, due to feeling the pull to the Dark Side.

She could sense where he was and headed that direction, but suddenly she was able to sense something else and it didn't seen good either.   
"Oh, no." she said under her breath. 

 

Moments later, Poe received a call from General Leia and answered.  
"General." he said.  
"Dameron." Leia began. "We arrived on Nilar and we're heading for your location." 

Ava started to sense something through the force and hurried over to Poe.  
"TIE-Fighters are coming!" she warned him.   
Poe looked at General Leia through the device and was going to tell her, but it seemed like she had just found out herself.   
"Poe. I'm sending Zander your way." she began. "He'll bring you an X-Wing. It looks as though well be needing your help in the skies."   
The call then quickly ended. 

Ava and Poe looked up to the sky and saw an entire fleet of TIE-Fighters. Some then started shooting their ship. The two of them quickly hid for cover. Ava then looked at Poe.   
"What do we do?" she asked in panic.    
"They're going to bring me an X-Wing any moment now and I can take some of them out." he began. "As for you. You need to go find Rey! Find Finn too! Now that we know Snoke's plan, I can't imagine what he'd do if he got ahold of either of them!" 

Ava agreed with him. Finn and Rey were way too important to lose. She gave him a nod and hurried off. Poe grabbed his blaster and started shooting Stormtroopers that came nearby. Just when more began to arrive in the area, they were taken out by other Resistance members. Poe smiled realizing they finally showed up to help him.

 

At Snoke's castle, Ben was attacking any Stormtrooper that stood in his way. Nothing was going to stop him from saving his mother. He then ended up at the ship dock and saw that most of the TIE-Fighters had left already. Ben looked around the area and noticed a few that hadn't taken off. He hurried over to one and sat down, ready to pilot it. 

Ben adjusted the controls and eventually took off into the sky. The TIE-Fighter moved with a high acceleration and he had to get the hang of it fast. As he flew in the sky, he came across two other TIE-Fighters and shot them down. 

At the castle, some First Order officers noticed this happen and alerted General Hux.  
"One of our own is attacking us." they said.  
Hux grew a look of disbelief once he realized who it was.   
"TAKE HIM DOWN!!" he yelled angrily.

On General Leia's ship, she was approached by a Resistance member.   
"General. We received word from our pilots that there's a First Order Fighter helping us." they told her.  
Leia watched as the ships fought before her. She could sense something through the force and smiled.   
"I'm fully aware." she began. "That's my son." 

 

Soon, the Resistance were able to provide Poe with an X-Wing. Poe smiled as he hurried to it, but then got surprised when he saw BB-8. The lovable droid quickly rolled toward him with excitement. Poe knelt down and hugged his pal.   
"I've missed you too, buddy." he began as he hugged him. "I've been gone for too long." 

Poe looked at the destruction in the sky and then back at his droid.  
"You ready to show these First Order bucket heads who's boss?" he asked.  
BB-8 then beeped in excitement and two of them loaded up into the X-Wing. Within the next second, they joined the fight.

**Author's Note:**

> ****DON'T GO YET!!!! Please leave a comment. Anyone can do so, even guests. I would most likely be needing suggestions if I get writers block and I would appreciate the help from anyone who has an idea they'd like to suggest. My goal is to finish this story and make it as much like Star Wars as possible. So, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Your idea might make it in the story. ;) ****


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